scholarly journals What drives beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories? The role of psychotic-like experiences and confinement-related factors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simão Pedro Rodrigues Ferreira ◽  
Carlos Campos ◽  
Beatriz Monteiro Marinho ◽  
Susana Rocha ◽  
Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

The COVID-19 pandemic is a worldwide threat to public health and the global economy. The climate of fear and uncertainty associated with the pandemic has fostered the emergence of a wide-range of COVID-19 conspiracy theories that has the potential do shape public opinion and hinder the effective dissemination of valid information. Beliefs in conspiracy theories has been associated with maladaptive personality traits such as schizotypy and paranoia, as well as other non-psychotic psychological characteristics (e.g., social isolation, stress). The current study aimed to examine the association between beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and psychotic-like experiences within the community, while also addressing the role of sociodemographic information, psychological outcomes (e.g., stress, affective states) and other pandemic-related factors (e.g., confinement conditions/behaviors). Our results suggest that psychotic-like experiences are associated with beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, particularly perceptual abnormalities and persecutory ideation. Moreover, increased health-related concerns and reduced education levels also seem to be liability factors for these conspiracy beliefs. These results add important insights into how the adherence to illogical and erroneous disease-related arguments may be contingent to proneness to psychotic-like experiences. COVID-19 conspiracy theories are yet another major challenge that governments and policy makers must contemplate when defining strategic directions to manage the current and future pandemics.

scholarly journals The role of conspiracy beliefs for COVID-19 prevention: A meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Bierwiaczonek ◽  
Jonas R. Kunst ◽  
Aleksander B. Gundersen
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Chloroquine Treatment ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
High Effort ◽  
Over Time

While conspiracy theories about COVID-19 are proliferating, their impact on health-related responses during the present pandemic is not yet fully understood. We meta-analyzed correlational and longitudinal evidence from 53 studies (N = 78,625) conducted in 2020 and 2021, demonstrating under what conditions COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs influence prevention responses. Conspiracy beliefs were associated with reluctance toward prevention measures both cross-sectionally and over time. They primarily reduced high-effort and pervasive responses (vaccination, social distancing), whereas low-effort responses (wearing masks, hygiene) seemed unaffected. Alarmingly, conspiracy beliefs had an increasing effect on prevention responses as the pandemic progressed and predicted support for alternative treatments that lack a scientific basis (e.g., chloroquine treatment, complementary medicine). Conspiracy beliefs are a non-negligeable and growing threat to public health.

Dilemmas of Distrust: Conspiracy Beliefs, Elite Rhetoric, and Motivated Reasoning

2021 ◽  
pp. 106591292110345
Author(s):  
Scott Radnitz
Keyword(s):  
Relative Weight ◽  
State Level ◽  
Motivated Reasoning ◽  
Political Rhetoric ◽  
Survey Experiment ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Individual

Conspiracy theories are playing an increasingly prominent role worldwide in both political rhetoric and popular belief. Previous research has emphasized the individual-level factors behind conspiracy belief but paid less attention to the role of elite framing, while focusing mostly on domestic political contexts. This study assesses the relative weight of official conspiracy claims and motivated biases in producing conspiracy beliefs, in two countries where identities other than partisanship are salient: Georgia and Kazakhstan. I report the results of a survey experiment that depicts a possible conspiracy and varies the content of official claims and relevant contextual details. The results show that motivated reasoning stemming from state-level geopolitical identities is strongly associated with higher conspiracy belief, whereas official claims have little effect on people’s perceptions of conspiracy. Respondents who exhibit higher conspiracy ideation are more likely to perceive a conspiracy but do not weight motivated biases or official claims differently from people with lower conspiratorial predispositions. The findings indicate the importance of (geopolitical) identities in shaping conspiracy beliefs and highlight some of the constraints facing elites who seek to benefit from the use of conspiracy claims.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AS HEALTHY INTERVENTION AGAINST SEVERE OXIDATIVE STRESS IN ELDERLY POPULATION

2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
C. TOMAS-ZAPICO ◽  
E. IGLESIAS-GUTIERREZ ◽  
B. FERNANDEZ-GARCIA ◽  
D. DE GONZALO-CALVO
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Related Disease ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Relevant Risk Factor

Severe oxidative stress is a relevant risk factor for major deleterious health-related events in olderpeople and is thought to be an important contributor to age-related disease. Literature has suggested oxidativestress as a therapeutic target for mitigating the biological decline and attenuating the occurrence of adverseclinical events in aged individuals. However, definitive treatments are not known. Regular and moderate physicalactivity has been proposed as possible intervention for slowing age-related decline. This healthy strategy presentsa wide range of beneficial aspects for elderly, from the reduction of morbidity, disability, frailty and mortalityrates to treatment of many age-related disorders. Importantly, the global benefits on health are not shared by anyother strategies. Nevertheless, the physiological basis by which exercise produces its benefits to the organism isnot fully understood. This review summarizes the evidence for the role of physical activity as potential healthyintervention for mitigating the negative aspects of aging through the modulation of the oxidative mechanisms.

Healthy Aging in the Context of Educational Disadvantage: The Role of “Ordinary Magic”

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1214-1234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
High School Diploma ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Educationally Disadvantaged ◽  
Educational Disadvantage ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Retirement Study

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the correlates of healthy aging in the context of educational disadvantage and the extent to which identified correlates are shared with the wider, more educationally advantaged population. Method: Data are from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study. The analytic sample included 17,484 self-respondents ≥50 years of age. Educational disadvantage was defined as having less than a high school diploma. Using logistic regression, healthy aging was regressed on demographic, early-life, and health-related factors by educational status. Results: Among educationally disadvantaged adults, demographic characteristics (e.g., age), health practices (e.g., physical activity), and the presence of health conditions were independently correlated with healthy aging. With few exceptions, correlates of healthy aging were similar among educationally advantaged and disadvantaged adults. Discussion: Ordinary factors are associated with healthy aging among adults without a high school diploma, suggesting that healthy aging is possible for larger numbers of adults aging in the context of educational disadvantage.

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.

Rationality in Conspiracy Beliefs: The Role of Perceived Motive

2013 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preston R. Bost ◽  
Stephen G. Prunier
Keyword(s):  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Previous work has raised the possibility that the perception of motive may contribute to conspiracy beliefs. The current study tested the prediction that conspiracy beliefs will strengthen as the apparent motive of the alleged conspirators strengthens. Participants ( N = 57) rated the plausibility of fictional conspiracy theories, manipulated for the strength of direct evidence for the conspiracy and the type of outcome (gain vs. no gain) experienced by the alleged conspirators after the event. Ratings revealed that participants were more likely to believe conspiracy claims not only if the evidence was strong but also if the apparent motive was high, and that the effect of apparent motive was independent of the strength of the evidence. The findings suggested that information about apparent motive may help create and sustain conspiracy beliefs.

scholarly journals The role of self-evaluation in predicting attitudes toward supporters of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories: A direct and a conceptual replication of Cichoka et al. (2016)

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 183449092110525
Author(s):  
Birte Siem ◽  
Benedikt Kretzmeyer, ◽  
Stefan Stürmer
Keyword(s):  
Self Esteem ◽  
Original Study ◽  
Total N ◽  
Specific Criterion ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Different Sources

We examined the role of people’s self-evaluation in predicting their attitudes toward supporters of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories by replicating and extending the findings of a study by Cichocka et al. (2016, Study 3) in two preregistered studies (total N = 1179). Study 1, a direct replication, confirmed that narcissism and self-esteem—two different sources of people’s self-evaluation—differentially predicted their beliefs in a series of well-known conspiracy theories (not related to COVID-19), and served as mutual suppressor variables. Specifically, narcissism was positively related and self-esteem was negatively related to conspiracy beliefs, especially when the respective other predictor was controlled for. Study 2 extended Cichocka’s and our Study 1’s findings by testing the differential role of self-esteem and narcissism in predicting a COVID-19-specific criterion. Specifically, we focused on people’s rejection of supporters of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, a criterion we deem particularly important in curtailing the spread of these theories. Results were generally in line with previous findings, but effects were substantially weaker. As suggested by exploratory analyses, this might be due to the fact that the overall rejection of supporters measure comprises not only items capturing rejection of supporters but also items capturing low beliefs in conspiracy theories. These two distinct components differentially related to self-esteem and narcissism: the differential role of self-esteem and narcissism could only be replicated for the “low belief” subcomponent (thus replicating findings from the original study and from Study 1) but not for the “rejection of supporters” subcomponent. The present work thus contributes to recent research suggesting that low belief in conspiracy theories and the rejection of their supporters might be qualitatively different responses with unique antecedents.

scholarly journals What Drives Belief in Vaccination Conspiracy Theories in Germany?

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Allen Jensen ◽  
Axel Pfleger ◽  
Lisa Herbig ◽  
Brady Wagoner ◽  
Lars Lorenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Sources ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Migration Background ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Sociodemographic Predictors ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

In the midst of a pandemic, the efficacy of official measures to mitigate the COVID-19 crisis largely depends on public attitudes towards them, where conspiracy beliefs represent potential threats to the efficacy of measures such as vaccination. Here, we present predictors and outcomes associated with a COVID-19 vaccination conspiracy belief. In a representative survey of Germany, sociodemographic predictors of this belief were found to include age, federal state, migration background and school leaving qualification. The study revealed correlations with trust in scientific and governmental information sources, respondents’ self-assessment of being informed about science, general conspiracy mindedness, the frequency of using Twitter and messaging apps, as well as willingness to voluntarily take the COVID-19 vaccine. Our results cohere with and build on the general literature on conspiracy mindedness and related factors. The findings provide an evidence base for more effective health and crisis communication in Germany and beyond.

Morality in the echo chamber: The relationship between belief in conspiracy theories, morality and support for COVID-19 public health policies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theofilos Gkinopoulos ◽  
Christian T. Elbaek ◽  
Panagiotis Mitkidis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Policy Support ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

Beliefs in conspiracy theories are a major problem, especially in the face of a pandemic, as these constitute a significant obstacle to public health policies, like the use of masks and vaccination. Indeed, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several ungrounded explanations regarding the origin of the virus or the effects of vaccinations have been rising, leading to vaccination hesitancy or refusal which poses as a threat to public health. Recent studies have shown that in the core of conspiracy theories lies a moral evaluation component; one that triggers a moral reasoning which reinforces the conspiracy itself. To gain a better understanding of how conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 affect public health containment behaviours and policy support, we analysed comprehensive data from the International Collaboration on the Social & Moral Psychology (ICSMP) of COVID-19, consisting of more than 50.000 participants across 67 countries. We particularly explored the mediating role of two levels of morality: individual and group-based morality. Results show that believing in conspiracy theories reduces adoption of containment health-related behaviors and political support of public health measures and that this relationship is mediated by the two levels of morality. This means that beliefs in conspiracy theories do not simply constitute antecedents of cognitive biases or failures, nor maladaptive behaviors based on personality traits, but are morally infused and should be dealt as such. Based on our findings, we further discuss the psychological, moral, and political implications of endorsement of conspiracy theories in the era of the pandemic.

Vulnerability, self-uncertainty, and collective narcissism mediate the relationship between ostracism and conspiracy beliefs: Α representative sample study during the first wave of the pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theofilos Gkinopoulos ◽  
Mete Sefa Uysal
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The Self ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

A correlational study (N=895) examined the association between ostracism and endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, the mediating role of sense of vulnerability, self-uncertainty and collective narcissism and the moderating role of conspiracy mentality. We found that ostracism positively predicted endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and this association was mediated by sense of vulnerability, self-uncertainty and collective narcissism. Conspiracy mentality moderated the relationship between ostracism with the sense of vulnerability, but not the self-uncertainty nor of the collective narcissism. Our study expands on the still very few and scarce research on ostracism and conspiracy theories, by confirming their relationship in the context of the pandemic, as well as exploring further interrelationships, responding to the recent calls for investigating the mediating role of both individual and group-level variables. Theoretical and societal implications are discussed. Results offer a novel insight in the relationship between ostracism and conspiracy theories focused on COVID-19, advancing our current knowledge and developing their relationship even further.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document