The Consequences of Conspiracism

2021 ◽  
pp. 131-152
Author(s):  
Scott Radnitz
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Popular Support

This chapter analyzes the results of a survey of 1,000 respondents in each Georgia and Kazakhstan, assessing attitudes toward generic and specific conspiracy theories and responses to two experimental vignettes. The analysis shows that most people are willing to give conspiracy theories the benefit of the doubt, with Georgians being more conspiratorial overall. Yet politicians who promote conspiracy theories are not automatically believed or rewarded politically. In an ironic twist, the success of conspiracy mongers in winning popular support is limited by the very cynicism that conspiracy theories produce in the first place. Finally, conspiracy believers are different from the general population, being more alienated from politics but more socially engaged.

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.

Populist attitudes and conspiratorial thinking

2021 ◽  
pp. 135406882110033
Author(s):  
Evren Balta ◽  
Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser ◽  
Alper H Yagci
Keyword(s):  
Representative Sample ◽  
Political System ◽  
The Political ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Popular Support ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Government Propaganda ◽  
Populist Party

What happens to the anti-establishment sentiments of pro-incumbent voters for a populist force that is in government and thus controls the political system? This article examines this question utilizing the case of Turkey, a country in which a populist force has been in power for more than a decade. By analyzing populist attitudes among a nationally representative sample, we demonstrate that while the voters of the incumbent populist party (AKP) are less likely, compared to everyone else, to hold populist sentiments, the same voters are also substantially more likely to endorse conspiracy theories that center on malign foreign powers. This finding is relevant beyond Turkey, because it demonstrates that populist forces might be able to maintain popular support and thus stay in power for a long stretch of time by employing government propaganda to fuel an antagonism against conspiratorial foreign and global forces.

scholarly journals Reconciliation Perspectives in Colombia: Characterizing the 2016 Peace Agreement With the FARC

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Eduardo Fernandez Osorio ◽  
Rocío del Pilar Pachón Pinzón
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
General Population ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
Popular Support ◽  
Implementation Level ◽  
The University ◽  
Major Criticism

Despite ending a 60-year armed conflict with the oldest guerrilla group in Latin America, the 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (farc) has faced growing opposition and resentment from the general population. This resistance has mainly occurred due to the absence of literature clearly providing an explanation of its contents, compromising its implementation and stability. Using the Peace Accords Matrix of the University of Notre Dame, this article explores some of the widespread criticism by comparing this agreement to others in 31 other countries. The key findings suggest that the 2016 Colombian peace agreement is the most extensive and the second most complex signed since 1989, and its crux may be categorized into five different groups of provisions. Statistical analysis suggests that its major criticism —its complexity— is the main impediment to the expected implementation level. Therefore, its stability should be guaranteed by exploring inventive strategies to gain popular support and legitimacy.

Popular Support for an Undemocratic Regime

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Rose ◽  
William Mishler ◽  
Neil Munro
Keyword(s):  
Popular Support

Arterial stiffness is a potential mechanism and promising indicator of orthostatic hypotension in the general population

VASA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 423-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingtao Meng ◽  
Si Wang ◽  
Yong Wang ◽  
Shixi Wan ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Arterial Stiffness ◽  
Orthostatic Hypotension ◽  
Operating Characteristic ◽  
Pulse Wave ◽  
Augmentation Index ◽  
Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Baroreceptor Sensitivity ◽  
Roc Curve Analysis

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a disease prevalent among middle-aged men and the elderly. The association between arterial stiffness and OH is unclear. This study evaluates whether arterial stiffness is correlated with OH and tests the usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an arterial stiffness marker, with regard to identifying OH. Patients and methods: A sample of 1,010 participants was recruited from the general population (64.8 ± 7.7 years; 426 men) who attended health check-ups. BaPWV and the radial augmentation index (rAI) were both assessed as the arterial stiffness markers, and OH was determined using blood pressure (BP) measured in the supine position, as well as 30 seconds and 2 minutes after standing. Results: The prevalence of OH in this population was 4.9 %. Compared with the non-OH group, both baPWV (20.5 ± 4.5 vs 17.3 ± 3.7, p < 0.001) and rAI (88.1 ± 10.8 vs 84.2 ± 10.7, p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the OH group. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, baPWV (OR, 1.3; 95 % CI, 1.106–1.528; p < 0.05) remained associated with OH. Moreover, the degree of orthostatic BP reduction was related to arterial stiffness. In addition, increases in arterial stiffness predicted decreases in the degree of heart rate (HR) elevation. Finally, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that baPWV was useful in discriminating OH (AUC, 0.721; p < 0.001), with the cut-off value of 18.58 m/s (sensitivity, 0.714; specificity, 0.686). Conclusions: Arterial stiffness determined via baPWV, rather than rAI, was significantly correlated with the attenuation of the orthostatic hemodynamic response and the resultant OH. The impaired baroreceptor sensitivity might be the mechanism. In addition, baPWV appears to be a relatively sensitive and reliable indicator of OH in routine clinical practice.

Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation in Sri Lanka

Crisis ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudath Samaraweera ◽  
Athula Sumathipala ◽  
Sisira Siribaddana ◽  
S. Sivayogan ◽  
Dinesh Bhugra
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
General Population ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
National Average ◽  
The West ◽  
Suicide Methods ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Completed Suicide ◽  
The World

Background: Suicidal ideation can often lead to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Studies have shown that Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of suicide in the world but so far no studies have looked at prevalence of suicidal ideation in a general population in Sri Lanka. Aims: We wanted to determine the prevalence of suicidal ideation by randomly selecting six Divisional Secretariats (Dss) out of 17 in one district. This district is known to have higher than national average rates of suicide. Methods: 808 participants were interviewed using Sinhala versions of GHQ-30 and Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation. Of these, 387 (48%) were males, and 421 (52%) were female. Results: On Beck’s Scale for Suicidal Ideation, 29 individuals (4%) had active suicidal ideation and 23 (3%) had passive suicidal ideation. The active suicidal ideators were young, physically ill and had higher levels of helplessness and hopelessness. Conclusions: The prevalence of suicidal ideation in Sri Lanka is lower than reported from the West and yet suicide rates are higher. Further work must explore cultural and religious factors.

Psychometric Properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C)

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ogliari ◽  
Simona Scaini ◽  
Michael J. Kofler ◽  
Valentina Lampis ◽  
Annalisa Zanoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Social Phobia ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Child Anxiety ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
The Social ◽  
General Populations

Reliable and valid self-report questionnaires could be useful as initial screening instruments for social phobia in both clinical settings and general populations. The present study investigates the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) in a sample of 228 children from the Italian general population aged 8 to 11. The children were asked to complete the Italian version of the SPAI-C and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that social phobia can be conceptualized as a unitary construct consisting of five distinct but interrelated symptom clusters named Assertiveness, General Conversation, Physical/Cognitive Symptoms, Avoidance, and Public Performance. Internal consistency of the SPAI-C total scores and two subscales was good; correlations between SPAI-C total scores and SCARED total scores/subscales ranged from moderate to high (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, for social phobia), with the SCARED Social Phobia subscale as the best predictor of SPAI-C total scores. The results indicate that the SPAI-C is a reliable and sensitive instrument suitable for identifying Social Phobia in the young Italian general population.

Personality of Clown Doctors

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberto Dionigi
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Normal Population ◽  
Big Five Personality Traits ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Big Five Personality

Abstract. In recent years, both professional and volunteer clowns have become familiar in health settings. The clown represents a peculiar humorist’s character, strictly associated with the performer’s own personality. In this study, the Big Five personality traits (BFI) of 155 Italian clown doctors (130 volunteers and 25 professionals) were compared to published data for the normal population. This study highlighted specific differences between clown doctors and the general population: Clown doctors showed higher agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and extraversion, as well as lower neuroticism compared to other people. Moreover, specific differences emerged comparing volunteers and professionals: Professional clowns showed significantly lower in agreeableness compared to their unpaid colleagues. The results are also discussed with reference to previous studies conducted on groups of humorists. Clowns’ personalities showed some peculiarities that can help to explain the facility for their performances in the health setting and that are different than those of other groups of humorists.

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