Something’s Going on Here

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 229-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Hart ◽  
Molly Graether
Keyword(s):  
Individual Difference ◽  
Real World ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Integrative Approach ◽  
Personal Safety ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Abstract. Research on individual-difference factors predicting belief in conspiracy theories has proceeded along several independent lines that converge on a profile of conspiracy believers as individuals who are relatively untrusting, ideologically eccentric, concerned about personal safety, and prone to perceiving agency in actions and profundity in bullshit. The present research represents the first attempt at an integrative approach to testing the independent contributions of these diverse factors to conspiratorial thinking. Two studies (N = 1,253) found that schizotypy, dangerous-world beliefs, and bullshit receptivity independently and additively predict endorsement of generic (i.e., nonpartisan) conspiracy beliefs. Results suggest that “hyperactive” agency detection and political orientation (and related variables) might also play a role. The studies found no effects of situational threats (mortality salience or a sense of powerlessness) – though it remains to be seen whether real-world instantiations of situational threats might move some people to seek refuge in conspiratorial ideation.

Partisanship, Individual Differences, and News Media Exposure as Predictors of Conspiracy Beliefs

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 691-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry A. Hollander
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Individual Difference ◽  
News Media ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Media Exposure ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Fox News ◽  
Political World ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Conspiracy theories are woven into America’s social and political fabric. While such beliefs help some individuals organize their political world, their popularity also raise concerns about the health of a democracy when those governed also suspect powerful forces work against their interests. The research here examines national survey data to demonstrate such beliefs have both partisan and individual difference explanations. Generic news media exposure offers little explanatory power, but exposure to Fox News programming predicts greater belief in theories critical of Democrats.

scholarly journals Conspiracy beliefs and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 183449092110398
Author(s):  
Monica Pivetti ◽  
Silvia Di Battista ◽  
Francesca Giorgia Paleari ◽  
Eemeli Hakoköngäs
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes

During the coronavirus pandemic, this study aimed to investigate the impact of conspiracy beliefs on Finnish attitudes toward vaccinations in general and COVID-19 vaccinations in particular. This study was a conceptual replication in Finland of a study by Pivetti et al. (2021) . Some 529 Finnish participants responded to a self-report questionnaire during the partial lockdown in Finland in spring 2020. The hypothesized relationships between variables of interest were integrated in a serial multiple mediation model via structural equation modelling. Results showed that endorsing general conspiracy beliefs directly predicted (1) general attitudes toward vaccines and (2) COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, and indirectly predicted (3) attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines via the serial mediation of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and general attitudes toward vaccines. As for the antecedents of beliefs in conspiracy theories, political orientation and moral purity predicted beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Trust in science was inversely related to general conspiracy beliefs. As for the consequences of conspiracy beliefs, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs directly predicted support for governmental restrictions (negatively) and the perception of informational contamination (positively).

scholarly journals A Power-Challenging Theory of Society, or a Conservative Mindset? Upward and Downward Conspiracy Theories as Ideologically Distinct Beliefs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenzo Nera ◽  
Pascal Wagner-Egger ◽  
Paul Bertin ◽  
Karen Douglas ◽  
Olivier Klein
Keyword(s):  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Political Extremism ◽  
Total N ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Conservative Ideology ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Even though conspiracy theories are diverse, they are typically construed as a homogeneous phenomenon. Based on classic theorizations of conspiracy theories by Popper (1945; 2002) and Moscovici (1987), we propose to distinguish between belief in upward conspiracy theories (i.e., targeting relatively powerful groups) and downward conspiracy theories (i.e., targeting relatively powerless groups). The former are theorized as power-challenging beliefs and the latter are theorized as being underpinned by conservative ideology. Across three studies conducted in Belgium (Total N = 2363), we show that these two types of conspiracy beliefs indeed relate differently to power-challenging attitudes (i.e., political extremism, feelings of leadership breakdown) and conservative ideology. Specifically, upward conspiracy beliefs were characterized by a U-shaped relationship with political orientation (i.e., an “extremism” bias), and a strong relationship with feelings of leadership breakdown. By contrast, downward conspiracy beliefs were strongly associated with conservative ideology. Both types of conspiracy beliefs were, however, positively correlated.

scholarly journals Contracting COVID-19: a longitudinal investigation of the impact of beliefs and knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney A. Moore ◽  
Benjamin C. Ruisch ◽  
Javier A. Granados Samayoa ◽  
Shelby T. Boggs ◽  
Jesse T. Ladanyi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Individual Difference ◽  
Real World ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Longitudinal Investigation ◽  
Accurate Knowledge ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
The Impact

AbstractRecent work has found that an individual’s beliefs and personal characteristics can impact perceptions of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Certain individuals—such as those who are politically conservative or who endorse conspiracy theories—are less likely to engage in preventative behaviors like social distancing. The current research aims to address whether these individual differences not only affect people’s reactions to the pandemic, but also their actual likelihood of contracting COVID-19. In the early months of the pandemic, U.S. participants responded to a variety of individual difference measures as well as questions specific to the pandemic itself. Four months later, 2120 of these participants responded with whether they had contracted COVID-19. Nearly all of our included individual difference measures significantly predicted whether a person reported testing positive for the virus in this four-month period. Additional analyses revealed that all of these relationships were primarily mediated by whether participants held accurate knowledge about COVID-19. These findings offer useful insights for developing more effective interventions aimed at slowing the spread of both COVID-19 and future diseases. Moreover, some findings offer critical tests of the validity of such theoretical frameworks as those concerning conspiratorial ideation and disgust sensitivity within a real-world context.

scholarly journals Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: a rapid review of the evidence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie van Mulukom ◽  
Lotte Pummerer ◽  
Sinan Alper ◽  
Hui Bai ◽  
Vladimira Cavojova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Difference ◽  
Guideline Adherence ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Individual Difference Variables ◽  
Accessible Information ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

COVID-19 conspiracy theories emerged almost immediately after the beginning of the pandemic, and the number of believers does not appear to decline. Conspiracy beliefs can have severe consequences, such as reduced guideline adherence and vaccination intentions. Therefore, it is crucial to understand them. In this rapid review we summarize research from more than 43 publications covering research in 25 countries worldwide. We evaluate the contribution of individual difference variables, biases and attitudes, and social factors to the beliefs, and discuss the consequences of the beliefs on safeguarding, self-centred, and misguided behaviours, vaccination intentions, and other, detrimental behaviours. We suggest that belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories may be boosted by low levels of trust in a context of threat and low levels of comprehensive, accessible information in a context of unknowns. We conclude that interventions are urgently needed to (re-)establish trust and provide accessible information about COVID-19.

Psychology in Outerspace

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 220-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viren Swami ◽  
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic ◽  
Manal Shafi
Keyword(s):  
Individual Difference ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Social Conformity ◽  
Extraterrestrial Life ◽  
Paranormal Beliefs ◽  
Future Work

Previous work has shown that is important to consider the disjunction between paranormal and nonparanormal beliefs about extraterrestrial life. The current study examined the association between both such beliefs and individual difference and demographic variables. A total of 555 British participants completed the Extraterrestrial Beliefs Scale, as well as measures of their Big Five personality scores, social conformity, sensation seeking, and demographics. Results showed no sex differences in ratings of paranormal and nonparanormal extraterrestrial beliefs, but participants rated nonparanormal beliefs more positively than paranormal beliefs. Results of structural equation modeling showed that individual difference factors (specifically, Openness, Conscientiousness, and social conformity) explained 21% of the variance in extraterrestrial beliefs, whereas demographic factors (specifically, education level, political orientation, and religiosity) explained 16% of the variance. Limitations and directions for future work are considered.

»Sometimes you just have to go in « – The link between conspiracy beliefs and political action

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pia Lamberty ◽  
David Leiser
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Violent Action ◽  
One Year

Even though conspiracy theories often address political issues, the question of how conspiracy beliefs affect people's political action has not been satisfyingly answered. We show how conspiracy beliefs are linked to political action. Study 1 (N = 203) shows that conspiracy beliefs were linked to violence. Study 2 (N = 268) supported the notion that conspiracy beliefs were linked to weaker support for normative actions and stronger support of violent action. In Study 3 (N = 180), we explored experimentally whether conspiracy beliefs increase violent action. The longitudinal Study 4 (N T1 = 523, N T2 = 274, N T3 = 199) showed over a timespan of one year that conspiracy beliefs increased non-normative political action.

‘Things are not what they seem to be’: A proposal for the spectrum approach to conspiracy beliefs

2021 ◽  
pp. 103985622110081
Author(s):  
Vladan Starcevic ◽  
Vlasios Brakoulias
Keyword(s):  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Persecutory Delusions ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Community Or ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Objective: Conspiracy beliefs (also known as conspiracy theories) become more prominent at times of heightened uncertainty and inconsistent or conflicting explanations provided by the authorities for events like terrorist attacks or pandemics, such as COVID-19. This article aims to examine the relevance of conspiracy beliefs for psychiatry in the context of the dynamics of trust and mistrust. Conclusions: Conspiracy beliefs may be situated on a spectrum of mistrust-related phenomena, which extends from healthy scepticism to persecutory delusions. They can be conceptualised as unfounded and fixed beliefs held with strong conviction about harm inflicted by powerful groups on the community or another group of people, usually with preserved insight that these beliefs differ from those that most people have and with reasons for having such beliefs not necessarily being implausible. It is important for conspiracy beliefs to be distinguished from persecutory delusions.

scholarly journals The dangers of blind trust: Examining the interplay among social media news use, misinformation identification, and news trust on conspiracy beliefs

2021 ◽  
pp. 096366252199802
Author(s):  
Xizhu Xiao ◽  
Porismita Borah ◽  
Yan Su
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
News Consumption ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Moderation Model ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Significant Moderator ◽  
News Use

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation has been circulating on social media and multiple conspiracy theories have since become quite popular. We conducted a U.S. national survey for three main purposes. First, we aim to examine the association between social media news consumption and conspiracy beliefs specific to COVID-19 and general conspiracy beliefs. Second, we investigate the influence of an important moderator, social media news trust, that has been overlooked in prior studies. Third, we further propose a moderated moderation model by including misinformation identification. Our findings show that social media news use was associated with higher conspiracy beliefs, and trust in social media news was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between social media news use and conspiracy beliefs. Moreover, our findings show that misinformation identification moderated the relationship between social media news use and trust. Implications are discussed.

Are misinformation, antiscientific claims, and conspiracy theories for political extremists?

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-605
Author(s):  
Adam M. Enders ◽  
Joseph E. Uscinski
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Political Orientations ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Political Left ◽  
Identity Based ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Political Groups ◽  
Representative Samples

Extremist political groups, especially “extreme” Republicans and conservatives, are increasingly charged with believing misinformation, antiscientific claims, and conspiracy theories to a greater extent than moderates and those on the political left by both a burgeoning scholarly literature and popular press accounts. However, previous investigations of the relationship between political orientations and alternative beliefs have been limited in their operationalization of those beliefs and political extremity. We build on existing literature by examining the relationships between partisan and nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs and symbolic and operational forms of political extremity. Using two large, nationally representative samples of Americans, we find that ideological extremity predicts alternative beliefs only when the beliefs in question are partisan in nature and the measure of ideology is identity-based. Moreover, we find that operational ideological extremism is negatively related to nonpartisan conspiracy beliefs. Our findings help reconcile discrepant findings regarding the relationship between political orientations and conspiracy beliefs.

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