scholarly journals Coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, mistrust, and compliance with government guidelines in England

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Freeman ◽  
Felicity Waite ◽  
Laina Rosebrock ◽  
Ariane Petit ◽  
Chiara Causier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
General Population ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The World ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Antibody Tests ◽  
Very High ◽  
Reduced Adherence ◽  
Conspiracy Thinking

Abstract Background An invisible threat has visibly altered the world. Governments and key institutions have had to implement decisive responses to the danger posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Imposed change will increase the likelihood that alternative explanations take hold. In a proportion of the general population there may be strong scepticism, fear of being misled, and false conspiracy theories. Our objectives were to estimate the prevalence of conspiracy thinking about the pandemic and test associations with reduced adherence to government guidelines. Methods A non-probability online survey with 2501 adults in England, quota sampled to match the population for age, gender, income, and region. Results Approximately 50% of this population showed little evidence of conspiracy thinking, 25% showed a degree of endorsement, 15% showed a consistent pattern of endorsement, and 10% had very high levels of endorsement. Higher levels of coronavirus conspiracy thinking were associated with less adherence to all government guidelines and less willingness to take diagnostic or antibody tests or to be vaccinated. Such ideas were also associated with paranoia, general vaccination conspiracy beliefs, climate change conspiracy belief, a conspiracy mentality, and distrust in institutions and professions. Holding coronavirus conspiracy beliefs was also associated with being more likely to share opinions. Conclusions In England there is appreciable endorsement of conspiracy beliefs about coronavirus. Such ideas do not appear confined to the fringes. The conspiracy beliefs connect to other forms of mistrust and are associated with less compliance with government guidelines and greater unwillingness to take up future tests and treatment.

Conspiracy Thinking, Tolerance, and Democracy

2018 ◽  
pp. 187-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Smallpage
Keyword(s):  
Central Question ◽  
University Professors ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Public ◽  
Thoughtful Reflection ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
The One ◽  
Independent Thinking ◽  
Conspiracy Thinking

When university professors engage with conspiracy theories, the public is pushed to the limit in terms of what it will or will not tolerate. Professors that publicly hold conspiracy beliefs force the central question of political tolerance: what is the line between the intellectual inquiry that allows for communities to flourish, on the one hand, and the expression of viewpoints that undermine that community’s integrity altogether, on the other? The line is blurry, as careful skepticism underlies both the best academic work and the psychology of conspiracy thinking. Since conspiracy theorists often anger, provoke, and sometimes harass the public, we must decide as a community if we will tolerate professors who hold controversial conspiracy beliefs. Such decisions require thoughtful reflection on the similarities and differences between conspiracy thinking and its relationship to desirable traits of democratic citizens, like tolerance, independent thinking, and academic freedom.

scholarly journals Role of Conspiracy Mentality and Paranormal Beliefs in Predicting Conspiracy Beliefs Among Neopagans

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-97
Author(s):  
Asbjørn Dyrendal ◽  
Leif Kennair ◽  
James Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Political Identity ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Political Identification ◽  
Gender And Education ◽  
Paranormal Beliefs ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Conspiracy Thinking

Recent studies on conspiracy thinking has concluded that the strongest predictor of the tendency towards conspiratorial thinking is a one-dimensional construct-conspiracy mentality-that is relatively stable over time and valid across cultures. Lantian et al. (2016) found that a single, elaborate question can work as a measure of conspiracy beliefs. We assess the validity of this question for an untypical, religious group: self-identified Neopagans. We also test some recent findings on the relation between conspiracy thinking and paranormal beliefs, attitudes towards group equality, political identification, age, gender, and education. The general patterns hold up well in our investigation, but there was a clear distinction between conspiracy theories about powerful actors and those about minorities. The single-item measure was the largest predictor of the former kind of conspiracy belief followed by level of paranormal beliefs. Anti-egalitarianism and holding a right-wing political identity were the strongest predictors of conspiracy beliefs about minorities. Education was negatively related to conspiracy beliefs of all kinds.

scholarly journals TIKKUN OLAM AND TRANSNATIONAL SOLIDARITY: JEWISH VOLUNTEERS IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-230
Author(s):  
Raanan Rein
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
General Population ◽  
Jewish Identity ◽  
North American ◽  
Spanish Civil War ◽  
Active Part ◽  
Tikkun Olam ◽  
The World ◽  
Transnational Solidarity ◽  
Very High

The number of Jewish volunteers who joined the International Brigades (IB) in order to defend the Spanish Republic against the Nationalist rebels was very high. Their presence among volunteers from each nation was in most cases greatly disproportionate to their representation in the general population of those countries. Many of these volunteers held internationalist views, and the idea of emphasizing their Jewish identity was alien to them. But in fact—as is reflected, for example, in the letters they sent from the Spanish trenches to their friends and relatives or in their memoirs—they also followed the Jewish mandate of tikkun olam, a Hebrew phrase meaning “repairing the world,” or showing responsibility for healing and transforming it. Many volunteers attempted to block, with their own bodies if need be, the Nazi and Fascist wave sweeping across Europe, thus defending both universal and Jewish causes. While there is a voluminous bibliography on the IB, less attention has been given to Jewish participation in the Spanish Civil War; and most studies of Jewish participation in the war focus on Jewish-European or on Jewish-North American volunteers. There is a conspicuous absence of historiography about Jewish-Argentines, and very little written on Jewish-Palestinians, in the Iberian conflict. This article looks at volunteers from these two countries and their motivation for taking an active part in the Spanish Civil War.

Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Conspiracy Theory ◽  
Ancient Rome ◽  
Medical Decisions ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The People ◽  
Medieval Europe ◽  
The World ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Twentieth Century America

Conspiracy theories are not fringe ideas, tucked away in society’s dark corners. Conspiracy theories are everywhere, and like other ideas they have consequences. When people believe conspiracy theories they may act on them. In democracies, conspiracy theories can drive majorities to make horrible decisions. Conspiracy beliefs can conversely encourage political abstention: if one believes the system is rigged, they will be less willing to take part. Conspiracy theories form the basis of some people’s medical decisions. For a select few, conspiracy theories are instructions to fight fire with fire, to use violence. There is no time in recorded history without conspiracy theories. Whether we are examining accounts of ancient Rome, medieval Europe, or twentieth-century America, conspiracy theories have inspired millions to take action. Scares, panics, purges, and bloodshed have sometimes been the result. Conspiracy theorizing is an enduring part of politics. Despite this, researchers and journalists continually struggle to understand the phenomenon. Why do people believe conspiracy theories? What are their effects on politics and society? How do conspiracy theories differ across the world? What should be done about conspiracy theories? Are we currently living through the conspiracy theory renaissance?

scholarly journals Stand out of my Sunlight: The Mediating Role of Climate Change Conspiracy Beliefs in the Relationship between National Collective Narcissism and Acceptance of Climate Science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Bertin ◽  
Kenzo Nera ◽  
Katarzyna Hamer ◽  
Isabella Uhl-Haedicke ◽  
Sylvain Delouvée
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Negative Relation ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Climate Skepticism ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Relationship

Despite the scientific consensus about the anthropogenic nature of climate change, there are still obstacles hindering society from acknowledging the severity of the situation. Notably, previous research suggests that climate change threats can cause people to display ethnocentric reaction to preserve the ingroup’s interests. In this research, we investigate the relation between collective narcissism and attitudes towards climate science. We argue that national collective narcissism is negatively associated with the acceptance of climate science. We further hypothesized that this relation might be mediated by conspiracy beliefs about climate change, because narcissistic identifiers are prone to hold conspiracy beliefs. In a pilot Study (N = 409), we found that national collective narcissism was significantly associated with climate change conspiracy beliefs. In Study 1 (N = 295), climate change conspiracy beliefs mediated the negative relation between national collective narcissism and acceptance of climate science. In Study 2 (N = 375), this mediation was replicated when controlling for other forms of climate skepticism. Lastly, general conspiracy mentality did not mediate this relation, which emphasizes the importance of considering the specificity of climate change conspiracy theories (rather than generic propensity to believe in conspiracy theories) in understanding distrust toward climate science.

scholarly journals Student’s Intention Towards Sustainable and Responsible Clothing Consumption

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Aisyah Dewi Muthi'ah
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Textile Industry ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Sustainable Material ◽  
Demographic Profiles ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
Purchasing Intention ◽  
Very High ◽  
Significant Factors

The textile industry is contributing a lot to the climate change since human consumptions on textile is very high. This articles aims to measure the influence of student’s sustainability knowledge and demographic profiles to their intention on buying sustainability product. Students from the same faculty completed an online survey with a total of 315 valid response that assesed the purchasing level, reasons, priorities, as well as some sustainable behaviour that the respondent might have. An ordinal regression used with employing the SPSS 16 software and p=0.05. Results suggest that the most significant factors affecting the students purchasing intention on sustainable products was whether their consider sustainable material as priority when purchasing textile products or not.

COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs among Romanian university students

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Lup ◽  
◽  
Elena Cristina Mitrea ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Analytical Skills ◽  
Media Regulation ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

This article explores factors that affect the strength of beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories drawing on data collected in an online survey of undergraduate and graduate students from Romanian universities. The results indicate that students with lower socio-economic status, lower levels of news consumption in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, who rely primarily on information from television and discussions to their peers, as well as those with lower levels of education/analytical skills are more susceptible to endorsing conspiracy theories regarding the origin and the nature of COVID-19. Education, analytical skills, and exposure to high quality media information appear to equip students with the necessary tools to critically assess COVID-19-related conspiracies. Given the link between conspiracy belief and health behaviors in the context of the pandemic, these results point to the importance of analytical skills and media regulation for curbing misinformation in societal contexts of heightened uncertainty, confusion, and existential threat.

ANXIETY AND OBSESSION ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19 PANDEMIC AMONG GENERAL POPULATION.

2021 ◽  
pp. 20-22
Author(s):  
Lija R Nath ◽  
Haseena T.A
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
General Population ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Critical Juncture ◽  
The World ◽  
The Masses ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Parts

Human civilization probably is passing through the most critical juncture of this millennium. Its existence is being challenged by the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) pandemic. The impact of COVID-19 on mental health of the masses has emerged as a matter of enormous concern. The purpose of the study was to assess the anxiety and obsessive thoughts associated with COVID-19 pandemic among general population. The study was conducted among 720 Indians living in different parts of the world. Data was collected by online survey with coronavirus anxiety scale (CAS) and Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS). It was found that out of the 720 participants 86 (12%) felt extreme social isolation due to COVID 19 pandemic. Nearly one third of the participants (28%) reported moderate level of anxiety and majority of the respondents (62%) experienced disturbing thoughts about contracting COVID-19.

scholarly journals Vietnam Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment, 2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117863022092465
Author(s):  
Tran Thi Tuyet Hanh ◽  
Le Thi Thanh Huong ◽  
Nguyen Thi Lien Huong ◽  
Tran Nu Quy Linh ◽  
Nguyen Huu Quyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Extreme Weather ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Health Vulnerability ◽  
The World ◽  
Very High

Background: The Global Climate Risk Index 2020 ranked Vietnam as the sixth country in the world most affected by climate variability and extreme weather events over the period 1999-2018. Sea level rise and extreme weather events are projected to be more severe in coming decades, which, without additional action, will increase the number of people at risk of climate-sensitive diseases, challenging the health system. This article summaries the results of a health vulnerability and adaptation (V&A) assessment conducted in Vietnam as evidences for development of the National Climate Change Health Adaptation Plan to 2030. Methods: The assessment followed the first 4 steps outlined in the World Health Organization’s Guidelines in conducting “Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments.” A framework and list of indicators were developed for semi-quantitative assessment for the period 2013 to 2017. Three sets of indicators were selected to assess the level of (1) exposure to climate change and extreme weather events, (2) health sensitivity, and (3) adaptation capacity. The indicators were rated and analyzed using a scoring system from 1 to 5. Results: The results showed that climate-sensitive diseases were common, including dengue fever, diarrheal, influenza, etc, with large burdens of disease that are projected to increase. From 2013 to 2017, the level of “exposure” to climate change–related hazards of the health sector was “high” to “very high,” with an average score from 3.5 to 4.4 (out of 5.0). For “health sensitivity,” the scores decreased from 3.8 in 2013 to 3.5 in 2017, making the overall rating as “high.” For “adaptive capacity,” the scores were from 4.0 to 4.1, which meant adaptive capacity was “very low.” The overall V&A rating in 2013 was “very high risk” (score 4.1) and “high risk” with scores of 3.8 in 2014 and 3.7 in 2015 to 2017. Conclusions: Adaptation actions of the health sector are urgently needed to reduce the vulnerability to climate change in coming decades. Eight adaptation solutions, among recommendations of V&A assessment, were adopted in the National Health Climate Change Adaptation Plan.

scholarly journals Problem Gambling in the Fitness World—A General Population Web Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1342
Author(s):  
Anders Håkansson ◽  
Artin Entezarjou ◽  
Göran Kenttä ◽  
Fernando Fernández-Aranda ◽  
Susana Jiménez-Murcia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Problem Gambling ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Addictive Behaviors ◽  
Regression Problem ◽  
Male Predominance ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
The World

The world of sports has a complex association to problem gambling, and the sparse research examining problem gambling in athletes has suggested an increased prevalence and particularly high male predominance. The present study aimed to study frequency and correlates of problem gambling in populations with moderate to high involvement in fitness or physical exercise. This is a self-selective online survey focusing on addictive behaviors in physical exercise distributed by ‘fitness influencers’ on social media and other online fitness forums to their followers. Respondents were included if they reported exercise at least thrice weekly, were above 15 years of age, and provided informed consent (N = 3088). Problem gambling, measured with the Lie/Bet, was studied in association with demographic data, substance use, and mental health variables. The occurrence of lifetime problem gambling was 8 percent (12 percent in men, one percent in women). In logistic regression, problem gambling was associated with male gender, younger age, risky alcohol drinking, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and less frequent exercise habits. In conclusion, in this self-recruited population with moderate to high fitness involvement, problem gambling was moderately elevated. As shown previously in elite athletes, the male predominance was larger than in the general population. The findings strengthen the link between problem gambling and the world of sports.

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