This is a natural reflex for many Internet users. When faced with an unexpected health problem and before going to the doctor, many turn to Google for more information. The online portal Statista recently published an infographic measuring the extent of this phenomenon on the European continent.
The French love medical information
This analysis is based on barometer data provided by Eurostat. It tells us the share of people who have searched Google for information about their health in the last three months. As for France, 51% of respondents answered yes to this question. A figure to put into perspective with the 36% obtained in 2011 by asking the same question.
The French level differs from that of its neighbors who, on the contrary, score even higher. This is the case of Finland (81%), the Netherlands (78%), Denmark (71%), Spain (65%) or even Greece (57%). Germany is an exception with only 37% of respondents indicating that they have searched for information on Google, up from 54% in 2011.
This survey coincides with the information also provided by Eurostat last April. It was then found that 55% of French people aged between 16 and 74 had consulted the search engine to obtain medical information.
Of course, it makes perfect sense to want to know more when you’re suffering from symptoms. Especially since it’s not always easy to get a doctor’s appointment quickly and many French people simply don’t have a doctor at their disposal.
Beware of false medical information
However, health-related information should be taken with a grain of salt. We know that misinformation remains a big problem. At the start of the Covid pandemic, many fake remedies were sold as miracle solutions to the virus, before it was discovered that they had no effect on the disease and could, in some cases, prove dangerous to patients.
Faced with the risks, the web giants were forced to revise their copy. This is especially true for YouTube, which has decided to add information panels around all videos dealing with Covid. Users were then invited to learn about vaccination progress and referred to sources from official organizations they believed to be reliable.
For your part, have you also got into the habit of searching for medical information on Google? Tell us in the comments.
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