Research Report

on
Rumors in Urban Community: A Study on Cause-Effect Analysis

Prepared by
Group Q
BSS Hon’s 8th Semester

Supervisor
Md Tawohidul Haque
Assistant Professor
ISWR, University of Dhaka

Institute of Social Welfare and Research

University of Dhaka
November, 2021
Rumors in Urban Community: A Study on Cause-Effect Analysis

Prepared by
Group Q
BSS Hon’s 8th Semester

Supervisor

________________
Md Tawohidul Haque
ISWR, University of Dhaka

Institute of Social Welfare and Research

University of Dhaka
 Group Members
Group-Q

Sl. No. Name Roll No. Photograph

1. Tanvir Reza 511

2. Saiful Islam Tapu 493

3. Md. Amirul Islam 467

4. Sadia Siddika Mim 490

5. Nesaruddin Rimon 482

6. Md. Ridwanul Hoque 453

Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction...........................................................................................................................1
1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................1
1.2 Logical Framework............................................................................................................................2
1.3 Concept related in the Study..............................................................................................................3
1.4 Research Questions............................................................................................................................3
1.4.1 Objectives...................................................................................................................................4
Chapter Two: Review of Relevant Literature..............................................................................................5
Chapter Three: Methodology and methods..................................................................................................9
3.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................9
3.2 Philosophical stance of the Study....................................................................................................10
3.3 Methods...........................................................................................................................................10
3.4 Population and sampling..................................................................................................................10
3.5 Data collection.................................................................................................................................11
3.6 Analysis...........................................................................................................................................12
3.7 Ethical consideration.......................................................................................................................13
3.8 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................14
Chapter Four: Findings and Analysis........................................................................................................15
4.1 Quantitative.....................................................................................................................................15
4.2 Qualitative.......................................................................................................................................19
4.2.1 Victim Case Study Findings and Analysis................................................................................19
4.2.2 Key Informant Interview findings and Analysis.......................................................................20
Chapter Five: Limitation, Recommendation and Conclusion....................................................................22
5.1 Limitations of the study...................................................................................................................22
5.2 Recommendations...........................................................................................................................22
5.3 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................23
References.................................................................................................................................................24
Appendix...................................................................................................................................................25
 Chapter One: Introduction

1.1 Introduction

Rumor is a significant mode of social communication, and its spread has a substantial impact on
a variety of human issues. There are two techniques to studying the process of rumor
propagation: microscopic models and macroscopic models. The macroscopic models offer a
macro perspective on this process and are mostly based on the widely used Daley-Kendall and
Maki-Thompson models. Across particular, rumor spread in social networks can be viewed as a
stochastic process. The microscopic models, on the other hand, are more concerned with the
micro interactions between individuals. Rumors generally emerge from confusing, stressful, or
potentially threatening situational settings in which people have a psychological need for
understanding or security(Difonzo & Bordia, 2007). People in urban areas enjoy listening to
rumors, and some people exploit gossip to their advantage, going around spreading tales about
others in order to score a free plate of food or a cup of tea(editor, 2011). The rumor spreads
across the population through pair-wise contacts between spreaders and other members of the
population. Any spreader presents in a pair-wise meeting tries to "infect" the other person with
the rumor. If the other person is uneducated, he or she becomes a spreader. In the other two
circumstances, either one or both of those present at the meeting discover that the rumor is true
and decide not to spread it further, transforming themselves into stifles(Wikipedia, 2021).

Rumors can be both the source and the result of information pollution. In their study, Meel and
Vishwakarma (2020) propose a taxonomy of eleven types of misleading information: rumors,
fake news, misinformation, disinformation, clickbait, hoaxes, satire/parody, opinion spam,
propaganda, and conspiracy theories. They also state that a rumor is simply unverified
information that may or may not be true in some circumstances. Seo, Mohapatra, and Abdelzaher
(2012), on the other hand, believe that a rumor is erroneous information and that true information
is a no rumor. A rumor is defined as "a proposition of belief that is officially unsubstantiated
when released and should deal with either current events or topical concerns to communicate the
emotional needs of the community and/or to help people make sense in the setting of uncertainty,
danger, or potential harm"(2020 JISTaP 8(3)-77-90.Pdf, n.d.). Numerous research provides

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diverse of rumors. Chua, Aricat, and Goh (2017), for example, define rumors according to three
criteria: their degree of direness, their relationship to unquestionable truths, and their passionate
desire. They investigate the life cycle of rumors and discover that the majority of rumor
messaging falls into four categories: informational, emotional, deliberative, and call-to-action (p.
263). Rumors can also take the shape of a hoax, a joke, a short fiction, or a leak of confidential
information(Garrett, 2018).

False rumors spread because of people's ignorance and desire to believe anything that comes
from the mouth of a trusted person. Complex rumors, even if genuine, are often unsuccessful
because they are too tough for others to understand, and many people just do not care. For a
rumor to spread, it must have an impact on a significant number of people(Lago, 2021). The
aims and tendency of spreading rumors can be defined in 2 ways and that can be positive and
negative both. According to Knapp (1944), a positive rumor usually predicts desired or positive
events, whereas a negative rumor foreshadows undesirable or damaging outcomes. Our research
focus is "social rumor in urban community." There are multiple papers on social media rumor,
religious rumor, or rumor about COVID-19, but there are hardly any papers about social rumor,
and this rumor is a significant act in our social life. Rumors have a greater impact in metropolitan
areas. As a result, we chose social rumor in urban communities as our research topic in order to
assess the causes and impacts of social rumor in our urban lives.

1.2 Logical Framework

This study has brought a sense of accomplishment that may further leads to a degree or may
result in an article or book. The study has been providing helpful information for educators,
researchers, practitioners, policy makers and individual participating in the study. There is less
empirical knowledge regarding rumors it’s sources and impact on social life. Moreover, there is
no comprehensive guidance on how to prevent rumors negative impact. Rumor became a
problem of grave national concern in the frenzied years. Rumor-led mob violence is becoming
commonplace around the world. Rumor is a burning issue in Bangladesh, it is also clear that the
traditional strategies for preventing rumors from spreading is not sufficient. So, there is a
knowledge gap, this study has attempt to fulfill the knowledge gap. This study has also been
raised people's awareness regarding rumors.

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1.3 Concept related in the Study

We are all social creatures. A society is a group of people who engage in ongoing social
interactions, or a large social group that shares the same spatial or social territory and is typically
governed by the same political authority and cultural norms. According to the definition we all
live in a society where we stay for a definite purpose and to live in a territory people acts in
several ways.

Rumor is one kind of information which spreads by the people in society. Rumors are first and
foremost statements of information; they inform rather than interrogate or command. Rumor is
defined as unverified and instrumentally relevant information statements in circulation that
emerge in ambiguous situations and serve to help people make sense of and manage threat.
Rumors can be social, political, religious and so on.

An urban community is something that a person thinks of as a place with a high density of
people, a place with basic necessities, a place with good resources, a place with plenty of job
opportunities, and a place that can be considered life-giving for a person's luxurious desires. The
term 'community' has many meanings in the context of urban communities.

Cause and Effect Analysis is a method for identifying all of the possible causes of a problem.
This means you can find and fix the root cause the first time, rather than having the problem
persist.

1.4 Research Questions

The main aim of this research is to understand rumor and the social dynamics that create and
spread rumors. The rumors become distorted, exaggerated and sometimes even vicious when it is
transmitted from person to person. A rumor may be defined as an unconfirmed communication
transmitted from person to person, usually in a situation of stress or anxiety, by which various
kinds of collective behavior are produced. It is necessary to know what is the meaning and areas
of rumor in Bangladesh? Why rumor spread who are involved in it? what are the most prominent
source of rumor? what are the influence of rumor on social life? what role different agency play
to prevent rumor from spreading and what strategy they need to follow?

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1.4.1 Objectives

1. To know about the rumors and its content in social life.

2. To identify cause and sources of social rumors.
3. To analyze the impact of social rumors.
4. To find out the solutions

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 Chapter Two: Review of Relevant Literature

Al-Zaman et al, 2020. Social Media Rumors in Bangladesh. Journal of Information Science
Theory and Practice.

This studies show that rumors, coupling with social media, often produce undesirable
consequences. The primary aim of this study was to analyze social media rumors. This study
attempts to answer three main objectives. What are the most popular themes of social media
rumors? What are the main sources of social media rumors? What are the most dominant aims of
social media rumors?

First, N=181 social media rumors’ data between 2017 to 2020 in Bangladesh, a rumor-prone
South Asian country, were collected. Second, the collected data were analyzed following the
content analysis method.

Three specific focuses were to identify in this paper the theme-based categories, tentative aims,
and prime sources of social media rumors.

The results show that the seven theme-based categories of social media rumors are political,
health & education, crime & human rights, religious, political, entertainment, and other; the two
main sources of social media rumors are mainstream media and online media; the three tentative
aims of social media rumors are positive, negative, and unknown. Results show that political
(n=62; 34.3%) is the most prominent category. Religious and political rumors together comprise
20.99% (n=38) of the total share, which could be the second-highest after political rumors. This
suggests that religion is a convenient topic for rumor propagation in Bangladesh. This study also
shows that rumors could have a positive correlation with crisis periods, important national or
international issues, and most importantly, issues of public interest.

This paper identifies some of its limitations with the data collection period, data source, and data
analysis. The researchers use secondary data to answer their research questions which may not
properly answer the researcher's specific research questions or contain specific information that
the researcher would like to have.

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This paper is based on secondary data in one point of time if the researchers collect both primary
and secondary data, they may get multiple perspective and by triangulate those they may get
more valid and reliable result.

This study is based on social media rumors in Bangladesh, they identified three-variable
analysis: popular themes, sources, and aims. The first variable signals about rumors’ topics of
interest; the second helps to identify the major and minor sources of social media rumors; the
third helps to understand rumors’ aims by analyzing claims, contents, and consequences. Though
this study is based on secondary data it helped to answer our research objectives to know about
overall about rumor its’ causes and impact on urban community

Kim et al, 2011. A Study on The Factors Affecting the Behavior of Spreading Online
Rumors: Focusing on The Rumor Recipient's Emotions. Pacific Asia Conference on
Information Systems.

This study is based on social psychological theories such as cognitive emotion theory and dual
process theory to explain the behavior of online rumor spreading as well as factors identified in
literature on rumor and persuasion studies. The research question of this study is what kinds of
factors affect the behavior of spreading rumors online? This question refers to determinants that
affect the attitude behind spreading an online rumor. The objectives of this study are to develop
an understanding of the factors that affect an individual's attitude regarding the spreading of
online rumors and how these factors eventually influence the individual's online rumor-spreading
behavior.

This study has employed a social survey method with closed questionnaire a sample size of 231
respondents. All the measurement items have extracted from previous study. All the respondents
were well-educated as undergraduate students.

This study defined online rumor and revealed the status quo of online rumor-spreading. Thus, we
can understand the phenomena of online rumor from a realistic point of view. Additionally, we
developed a research model to provide a more comprehensive understanding of online rumor-
spreading. We found the major factors affecting the online rumor spreading behavior based on
social psychological theories.

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This study applied the cognitive emotion theory and the dual-process theory of information
processing to examine how online users express their emotions of online rumors. findings
demonstrate that the belief constructs affect positive or negative emotion, and then emotion
affects the attitude and behavior of online rumor-spreading. attitude significantly influenced
behavior of spreading online rumor. The structural model explained more than 40 percent of the
variance of the positive emotion of online rumor. Negative emotion, in turn, explained more than
30 percent of the variance of attitude and behavior of spreading online rumor. Additionally, it
was found that informationally based determinants significantly influenced positive emotion.
These results provide significant implications both in theory and practice.

the survey was conducted after the police report on the veracity of the sample rumor, the
respondents' answers might have been influenced by the event. the data in this study was
collected from Korean students for the specific sample rumor. The results might not be
generalizable due to the national characteristics unique to Korea and the small sample size.

This study is exploratory empirical study in the online rumor research field. This study explore
the participants perceptions and all of its respondents are undergraduate students. Most of the
sample of our studies are also undergraduate students. We can compare our findings with this
study. Moreover, this study identifies many variables affecting the behavior of rumor-spreading
which are direct linked and may answer our research objectives to identify causes and sources of
rumors.
Zheltukhina et al, 2016. Role of Media Rumors in the Modern Society. INTERNATIONAL
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL & SCIENCE EDUCATION.

The use of media rumors as a practical influence method in modern communication is examined
in this article. The overarching research question of this study was to identify the role of media
rumors in the modern society? A methodological basis of work is system approach. This study
has employed inductive, descriptive and comparative, cognitive and discursive, semantic,
definitional, functional and stylistic analysis.

The main focus of the study is to identify the role of media rumors in the modern society. We
may compare media rumors in different media cultures based on the findings of this study.
Spreading rumor is a result of collective creation, collective attempt to explain problematical and

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emotive situation. As a result of specialist literature and facts, two major functions of rumors in
printed mass media has distinguished in this paper: informational and affecting. Filling of
informational vacuums, adding the image of the event, forming of identity, increasing
homogeneity of opinions, control over conflicts, discrediting of opponent, provoking recipient to
activate actions, decreasing recipient's level of excitement, anxiety, misrepresentation of
opponent are all informational and affecting functions of rumors in modern media discourse.

This study has few limitations regarding its choice of methods. This study is just based on
secondary source of data. The findings of this study have to be seen in light of some limitations
regarding generalizations and ensure its validity and reliability.

It is recommended that linguistic, cultural, philosophical and historical development of research

should include complex methods, which were integrated into research process and should be
discussed by experts in their fields. This study has identified major functions of rumors which
can help to answer our study’s objectives about to analyze the impact of social rumors. The
motive of rumors has also discussed in this paper which help to identify causes of rumors in our
study.

Al-Zaman et al, 2020. Storytelling and Rhetoric of Rumor in social media.

This paper is a brief overview about social media rumor in Bangladesh which is less explored.
This paper has explored online disinformation, the nature of audiences’ engagement in online
stories, and social media as a tool of persuasion and propaganda.

The present study aims to explore the junction of social media storytelling, social media rhetoric,
and social media rumor. The analyses of social media rumors give us few insights but they are
not substantiated through rigorous and systematic research. However, it does not provide a
concrete conceptual framework, but rather a brief overview of the storytelling and rhetoric of
social media rumor.

This paper about social media rumors give few insights they are not substantiated through
rigorous and systematic research. To develop an in-depth understanding about the phenomena
more rigorous investigation are needed.

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This paper is relevant to our study to some extent to get a overview about rumor and rumor
propagation in Bangladesh. This paper has helped to know the content of rumor in Bangladesh.

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 Chapter Three: Methodology and methods

3.1 Introduction

The use of suitable methodologies is one of the most important aspects of a good study.
Methodology is about epistemology and ontology of research. Research methodology has many
dimensions and research method is a part of research methodology. Methods are likely to include
the following things data collection, population and sample, analysis, strategy and ethical issues
(Matthews & Ross, 2010).

The main criteria of a good study are using appropriate methods. This study has useed a mixed
methods design, which is a procedure for collecting, analyzing and “mixing” both quantitative
and qualitative data at some stage of the research process within a single study, to understand a
research problem more completely (Creswell, 2002).

The rationale for mixing is that neither quantitative nor qualitative approaches are sufficient by
themselves to capture the trends and details of the situation, such as a complex issue of case
effect of social rumors in urban community. When used in combination, quantitative and
qualitative methods complement each other and allow for more complete analysis. An
investigator uses numerical data in quantitative research. He develops knowledge through
positivist assertions including cause and effect reasoning, reduction to particular variables,
hypotheses and questions, measurement and observation, and theory testing. To establish the
degree and frequency of correlations, a researcher separates variables and logically connects
them. Furthermore, a researcher identifies the variables to explore and selects methods that
produce highly reliable and valid results. Alternatively, qualitative research is “an inquiry
process of understanding” where the researcher develops a “complex, holistic picture, analyzes
words, reports detailed views of informants, and conducts the study in a natural setting”
(Creswell, 1998, p. 15). In this approach, the researcher makes knowledge claims based on the
constructivist (Guba & Lincoln, 1982) or advocacy/participatory (Mertens, 2003,) perspectives.
In qualitative research, data is collected from those immersed in everyday life of the setting in
which the study is framed. Data analysis is based on the values that these participants perceive

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for their world. Ultimately, it “produces an understanding of the problem based on multiple
contextual factors” (Miller, 2000).

3.2 Philosophical stance of the Study

The philosophical stance is the set of assumptions within this particular theoretical framework
inform how the study has been conducted, designed and implemented. In a mixed methods
approach, the researchers build the knowledge on pragmatic grounds (Creswell, 2003; Maxcy,
2003) asserting truth is “what works” (Howe, 1988). Philosophical assumptions in mixed
methods research consist of a basic set of beliefs or assumptions that guide inquiries (Guba &
Lincoln, 2005). The Philosophical stance of the Study is justified in drawing an arrow as given in
the book by Michael Crotty (1998) from epistemological position constructionism &
Objectivism to theoretical perspective as inter poeticism & Positivism, next arrow to
methodology as Survey research yet another arrow to methods as questionnaire & interview has
utilized in this study.

3.3 Methods

To widen the scope of inquiry this study has employed a mixed methods approach from
conception to analyses, with the intent to give equal weight to qualitative and quantitative
methods for in-depth understanding as well as generalizing the findings. In this method a
researcher or team of researchers combines elements of qualitative and quantitative research
approaches for the purposes of breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration and to get
diverse perspective (Creswell, 2015).

To gain a greater understanding of the chain of evidence that links causes of rumors and its
impact on social life mixed method is more suitable for this study, which involved the collection
and analysis of quantitative data followed by the collection and analysis of qualitative data. In
regard to the chain of evidence, the quantitative phase of research established the linkages,
whereas the qualitative phase brought nuance, context, and understanding to each link in the
chain (Creswell, 2015).

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3.4 Population and sampling

The population of this study were the student’s community, employees, professional people,
police, academicians, people who working at the local level. We'll choose Dhaka city as research
site for sampling. In this study the subject of the case was the people of urban community and
the objects was social rumors.

The study has used a combination of purposive (Maximum variation and critical sampling) and
random sampling for selecting the study participants and the sample size was 70. This sampling
has helped to develop an in-depth exploration of central phenomenon and generalize the study
findings. The plan is to draw a sample of 70 sampling through survey method and
simultaneously recruit six diverse qualitative case studies.

SL Respondent Type Data collection method Number of Respondent

01 Students, Employee Self-reported closed 70

questionnaire

02 Victim of rumor Qualitative case study 03

03 Key Informant Semi structured interview 03

3.5 Data collection

The first, quantitative phase of the study has focused on identifying internal and external factors
contributing to Rumors. The survey design, has used to collect primary data. The primary
technique for collecting the quantitative has utilized a self-developed questionnaire, containing
items of different formats: multiple choice, asking either for one option or all that apply,
dichotomous answers like “Yes” and “No”, self-assessment items and open-ended questions.

Second, Face-to-face interviews used to gather qualitative data. A semi-structured interview

schedule has prepared for this interview. Semi-structured interviews are flexible in nature and
some structure ensures that the same research topic areas has been covered with all participants.
The interview has been conducted completely in Bangla language. The semi-structured interview
schedule has prepared in English initially, then translated into Bangla for the purpose of
collecting answers. Each interview lasts 45 to 60 minutes on average. In some cases, Follow-up
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visits has been made to obtain missing information and further investigate certain issues. For
recording the interview we used tape recorder, taking notes during and after the interview. Then
transcribe the text from audio and categorize the key themes under distinct categories with
labels.

3.6 Analysis

The sequential qualitative-quantitative data analysis design was employed in this study. Data
analysis in mixed methods research consists of analyzing separately the quantitative data using
quantitative methods and the qualitative data using qualitative methods. It also involves
combining both databases using approaches that mix, or integrate, the quantitative and
qualitative data and results the mixed methods analysis.

For quantitative survey data statistical analysis has employed. In quantitative data analysis, First,
begins by converting the raw data into a form useful for data analysis, which means scoring the
data by assigning numeric values to each response, cleaning data entry errors from the database,
and creating special variables that are needed. Second, Exploring the data involves visually
inspecting the data and conducting a descriptive analysis to determine the general trends in the
data. The choice of a statistical test is based on the type of research question asked, the number
of variables in the question, the types of scales used to measure those variable and whether the
variables’ scores are normally or non-normally distributed. The quantitative data analysis is
conducted using statistical software (SPSS) and proceeds from descriptive analysis to inferential
analysis, during which multiple steps build a more refined analysis. Third, representing the
results of analysis in statements, tables, and figures. Statements of quantitative results generally
identify the results and summarize the statistical evidence for those results. Fourth, interpretation
and summarizing the major quantitative results and then comparing the results with the initial
research questions asked to determine how the questions or hypotheses were answered in the
study. It also means comparing the results with prior predictions or explanations drawn from past
research studies or theories. Finally, dealing with validity and reliability. Standards for assessing
these issues are available from several sources. Quantitative validity means that the scores
received from participants are meaningful indicators of the construct being measured.
Quantitative reliability means that scores received from participants are consistent and stable

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over time. This study has ensured the reliability and construct validity of scores by selecting
quality instruments and by analyzing data.
For qualitative data analysis thematic analysis approach has employed. Immediately after
interviews, Firstly, transcribe the audiotapes from the interview then translate the texts into
English then prepare and organize the data for analysis. By reading the transcript again and again
figuring out the answer by relating it to the objectives of the study. Secondly, engaging in an
initial exploration of the data through the process of coding to build descriptions and themes.
Then to develop a table that summarizes these themes and representing the findings through
narratives and visualization. Thirdly, making an interpretation of the meaning of the results by
reflecting on the impact of the findings and on the literature that might inform the findings.
Finally, conducting strategies to validate the accuracy of the findings to check the accuracy
through employing the validation procedures such as member checking, triangulation and
auditing.

3.7 Ethical consideration

In all steps of the research process, ethical consideration has maintained. It does tend to relate
closely to the data collection and reporting and distribution of reports than any of the other phase
of research. Development of an informed consent form for the participants to sign before they
participate in the study and not to force them to sign. In order to protect the informants’ rights
and to provide participants with a description of these procedures: (a) the research objectives
were explained verbally and in writing, (b) each informant was informed of all data collection
devices and activities, (c) written permission to proceed with the study as described was received
from each participant, (d) test results, verbatim transcriptions, written interpretations, and reports
were stored in a locked cabinet and available to each informant upon request, (e) the informants’
rights and preferences were the researcher’s chief consideration, and (f) each informant was
assigned a code and all other identifiable data was changed to protect the identity of each
participant (Kayser-Jones & Koenig). While collecting data, assured the participants that their
privacy has been protected. Interview has recorded with their prior authorization and ensure that
the results has not bring harmful to them. Information regarding the study has provided to the
participants, and asking the questions relevant to the topic. We tried to compensate the

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participants for their precious time spent engaging in the data collection session. The identities of
the respondents have removed during data transcription, including their names or any significant
aspect of identity. In presenting the findings of the study, the respondents have referred to by
their pseudonym names. We left our bias thoughts out and avoid misinterpretation in data
analysis. The anonymity and confidentiality of the participants has been preserved.

3.8 Conclusion

The primary focus of this research is to understand further about rumors and the social factors
that cause and circulate rumors. The study has analyzed the impact of rumor and attempts to
provide guidance how to prevent it. To obtain a better outcome, this study used a mixed method
approach to gather and analyze data. This study has been explored trends and forms of rumor in
Bangladesh.

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 Chapter Four: Findings and Analysis

4.1 Quantitative

This study aim to explore the causes and effect of rumors in urban community of Bangladesh.
This study has employed a mixed method approach. In this study 70 participants (N=70) are
selected randomly for self-reported structured questionnaire. Results shows that the age limits of
the participants is 18≤N≥25. Most of the participants are undergraduate students (59) and few
graduate (11) students. The prevalence of most concerned rumored issues according to the
participants are Religious rumor (35.23%), Political rumor (22.85%), Disaster and Pandemic
related rumor (10.47%), Contemporary issues (23.8%) and others (7.15%).

Table 1: Sociodemographic Information of the Respondents.

58 participants (85.3%) thinks rumors are spread for gaining social status and taking revenge
while rest of them 14.7% disagree with that statement. Almost 93.5% thinks that rumors is a
negative issue that should be eliminated while 6% thinks it is not a negative issues always.
78.15% thinks rumors are associated with our social and cultural process while 21.78% disagree

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with the statement. According to the participant’s most widely circulated rumors are Padma
bridge ‘Human

head’ rumors, Covid vaccine related rumors, Increase the value of salt, Delwar Hossain sayde’s
face projected on the moon and disappearance of Satellite.

According to the participants 67.01% rumors are spread through social media, 16.49% rumors
circulated through online news portal and physically 15.45%. Most of the participants (39) thinks
the prevalence of spreading rumors is much higher in the time of election, disaster and epidemic.
Illiterate people, religious and political leader are responsible for spreading a great portion of
rumors in Bangladesh.

Table 2: Rumors and its Content in Social Life.

Questions Frequencies Percentage

Religious 37 35.23 %
Political 24 22.85 %
Major Rumors content Disaster and Pandemic 11 10.47 %
Contemporary issues 25 23.80 %
Others 8 7.15 %
Rumors for taking Yes 58 85.30 %
revenge No 10 14.70 %
Rumors is a negative Yes 57 93.55 %
issue, Should be No 4 6.55 %
eliminated
Relation with socio- Yes 57 78.15 %
cultural process No 4 21.87 %
Padma Bridge need Human 11 26.19%
Head
Deloar Saidi in Moon 9 21.43%
Most widely circulated Covid Vaccine related rumors 9 21.43%
rumors Increase the value of Salt 7 16.67%
Disappearance of Satellite 6 14.29%

88.40% of the respondents verify information whether it is from authentic source or not while
rest of them 11.60% don’t verify before sharing information. 88.8% thinks social media should
bring into a structured monitoring system, 11.11% are disagree with that statement. Results show

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that 38.23% of respondents are influenced by rumors while 61.76% are not influenced by rumors
and 32.35% of them hampered by rumors, but only 8.45% take legal action against those rumors
while maximum of them 91.54% take no legal action. From socio-economic point of view of the
respondent’s maximum rumors are very dangerous (95.77%) while a few thinks it has less or not
impact. They linked direct impact of rumors with mob violence 14.16%, communal riots and
social unrest 75% and others. Most of the respondents thinks rumors is very serious issues and
they emphasis on giving importance on rumors from its very beginning stage. They think the
condition of rumors deteriorates as a results of government slow actions (38.2%), giving little
importance 33.7% and others reasons.

Awareness creating steps against rumors suggested by the respondents are making small video
clips 62% and writing in newspaper 36% etc.

Table 3: Causes and Sources of social rumors

Questions Frequencies Percentage

Media spreading rumors Mouth 15 15.45 %
Social Media 65 67.01 %
TV Channel 01 1.03 %
Newspaper 00 0%
Online News portal 16 16.49 %
Monitoring of social media Yes 64 88.88 %
No 08 11.11 %
Time of spreading rumors Election 39 39 %
Epidemic 15 15 %
Disaster 15 15 %
Others time 31 31 %
Responsible person to spread Illiterate People 43 45.26 %
rumors Religious Leader 10 10.52 %
Political Leader 20 21.05 %
Students 07 7.36 %
Others 15 15.78 %

Verification of information Yes 61 88.40 %

before sharing
Yes No 08 11.60 %
No

Table 4: Impact of Rumors on Social Life.

Questions Points Frequency Percentage
Influenced by rumors Yes 26 38.23 %
No 42 61.76 %
Affected by rumors Yes 22 32.35 %
No 46 67.65 %

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 Legal action Yes 6 8.45 %
No 65 91.54 %
Give Importance of rumors Yes 47 67.14 %
in the beginning No 23 32.85 %
Socioeconomic point of view Not dangerous 1 1.40 %
of rumor Little dangerous 2 2.81 %
Very dangerous 68 95.77 %
Direct Impact of rumor Mass beating 17 14.16 %
Communal riots 36 30 %
Social unrest 53 44.16 %
Others 14 11.66 %
Why Impact of rumors Give little importance 30 33.70 %
become harmful Government slow action 34 38.20 %
Others 25 28.08 %
Awareness creating steps Small video clip 30 30.61 %
against rumor Writing in newspaper 36 36.73 %
Others 32 32.65 %

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4.2 Qualitative

4.2.1 Victim Case Study Findings and Analysis

Reason to be a victim

Rumors spread when there is lack of information or people don’t have complete information or
not having complete information. This study has employed three qualitative victim case study
method. The study finds that most of the respondent’s reason to be a victim of Rumors are pieces
of information or a story that has not been verified. This means that the person telling the story
does not know for certain if it is true or not. Most of the time, people who spread rumors do not
bother to determine if there is any truth to what they are saying.

Respondent one, his father was infected with COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized. Meanwhile,
the majority of his neighbors were speculating that he, too, was affected by COVID-19.
However, he had no signs or symptoms of COVID-19, and his test results were negative.

His neighbor avoided his family and prohibited them from going out in public. Even they have
been unable to open their windows for several days. They are compelled to abandon their house
by some of his neighbors. They had to leave their house for long periods of time on sometimes.

“My father was infected with COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized. Meanwhile, the majority of
my neighbors were speculating that I, too, was affected by COVID-19. However, I had no signs
or symptoms of COVID-19, and my test results were negative” (Interview 01).

Psychological change

"Rumor" refers to a statement of unclear credibility. The study finds that Rumors cause serious
negative effects on respondents. Rumors triggered mental health issues of the respondents. They
become mentally shattered, frustrated, depressed and embarrassed as a result of spreading
falsehoods in their name. Respondent two stated that “When I know about that rumor had been
spread in my name, I was shocked and embarrassed. I couldn't take this also become mentally
depressed”.

This study find that rumors can lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, anxiety,
and a host of other issues.

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Recovery

Most of the respondents recovered from negative impact of rumors by providing justification,
verification and by proving that rumors are just false propagation against them. The study finds
that for recovery family and friends supports play an important role and those who had got better
family and friend support were able to recover more quickly. The respondents two stated that

“When you hear about a rumor, it's often preferable to go straight to the source to find out why
it was spread.”

This study shows that the best way to denounce a rumor is by proving to people that it can't
possibly be true. Explaining to people what is actually true, or by showing them by actions.
Sometimes it can be helpful to have a third party to refute the rumor.

4.2.2 Key Informant Interview findings and Analysis

Respondents concluded that a rumor is a story or piece of information that may or may not true
but that people are taking about and it is an unofficial interesting story or piece of news that
might be correct or invented and quickly spreads person to person within a second.

Credibility

The interview data states that most of the rumors in Bangladesh are political and religion related
and the medium of spreading rumors social media is mostly responsible. The study also finds
that when rumors mixed with different sentimental and when popular influencer share any news
most of the people without proper verification spread and motivated with that information.

Power to Change State System

One respondent think that rumors are very powerful it can change a country’s state system as she
states that, “Bangladesh one of the ministers of ministry of information named Dr. Murad
Hossain said to change in the constitution. He has claimed to change the religion of state Islam
to secularism because of the violence which was occurred in Cumilla and over the country in
later. So, I think rumors have the power to change in the state system”.

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Table 5: Rumor and its Content

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 Chapter Five: Limitation, Recommendation and Conclusion

5.1 Limitations of the study

As research is a systematic process based on scientific knowledge and competence. It is expected

the research will be scientifically reliable and unbiased. The valid its and stability of a social
research depends on how to be completely corrected because it is not totally free from the impact
of social environment. The study has also some limitations as scientific study. The problems and
limitations which have been provided during conducting the research are given below-

Data collection through primary source or through interview was time consuming matter.
The respondents were not properly cooperative with the interviewers as we expected. It was
difficult to convince the respondents for getting appropriate information as the respondents were
suspicious about the intention of the researcher.
There was no enough time as the study was to complete during a fixed time for the course
completion. Gathering information from source of the university students were sometimes very
difficult and extremely time consuming. They did not give enough time to the interviewers.
It was not fully possible to collect exact and perfect information because the lack of secured and
sound environment. Some of the respondents could not understand some of the questions of the
schedule. So the researcher had to explain some of the points. That's why; the researcher may be
biased with their personal values and beliefs.
As the study includes in the curriculum, the researcher had to bear the all amount of
expenditures, which did not ensure the proper implementation of the study. In fine, the research
was carried out in new field of knowledge. Besides the limitations, it can be the firsthand data for
the researcher who will carry out the study in similar research area in future.

5.2 Recommendations
By going through a research based study we can recommend some basic steps which can help to
reduce the rate of rumor. The recommendations are provided by our analysis and study.

1. People have to be more aware about rumor.

2. We have to justify every news before trusting on them
3. Always try to be the source of authentic information
4. Keep social life private as much as possible
5. Arranging awareness campaign against rumor.

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 6. We need to have a detailed survey providing current data on the conditions of rumors in
urban community.
5.3 Conclusion

Rumor is unverified information, that is spread about people, whether it’s true or not, can be
extremely hurtful. They can hurt self-esteem, career and create conflict in the community. In this
modern period of time, it is become a great concern for the conscious people to verify the
information. But There is less empirical knowledge regarding rumors and its impact on social
life. A comprehensive guideline is necessary to prevent negative impact of rumors. This study
aimed to explore the causes and effects of social rumors in urban community in Bangladesh.

Mixed methods approaches are used in which both quantitative and qualitative data were
combined for collecting the data for this study. The rationale for mixing is that neither
quantitative nor qualitative methods are sufficient by themselves to capture the trends and details
of the problem situation.

For collecting the quantitative data, a social survey was conducted involving 70 students in
Dhaka city ages 18 to 25 years old where most of the respondent are honors level students. The
survey questionnaire collected information on socio-demographics, contents, causes and effects
of rumors. The study shows that, 38.23% of respondents are influenced by rumors, where the
most of rumors content are Religious rumor (35.23%), the media of spreading most of the
rumors by social media (67.01%) in the time of election and epidemic (55%), most widely
circulated rumors were Padma bridge ‘Human head’ rumors, Covid vaccine related rumors.
Almost all people (93.5%) thinks that rumors is a negative issue that should be eliminated and
they recommend to increase awareness through small video clips (62%) and writing in
newspaper (36%) for eliminate these rumors.

The study has been providing helpful information for educators, researchers, practitioners, policy
makers and individual participating in the study. This is high time to stop spreading these rumors
from the community and take steps to eliminate all kinds of rumors from the society.

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Appendix

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