scholarly journals Beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories predict lower level of compliance with the preventive measures both directly and indirectly by lowering trust in government medical officials

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irena Pavela Banai ◽  
Benjamin Banai ◽  
Igor Mikloušić
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Multiple Mediation ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global health crisis, making compliance with governmental policies and public health advice crucial in decreasing transmission rates. At the same time, we are faced with the rapid spread of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the predictive power of COVID-19 conspiracy theories in explaining the level of compliance with official COVID-19 guidelines, by including mediating roles of pseudoscientific information beliefs and trust in government officials. A total of 1882 participants provided sociodemographic information and completed all measures in the study. Multiple mediation analysis revealed a direct negative effect of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs on the compliance with the preventive measures. In addition, conspiracy beliefs were indirectly associated with compliance via trust in government officials. The present study builds upon emerging research showing that conspiracy beliefs have potentially significant social consequences. Practical implications of these findings are further discussed.

scholarly journals Social consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: Evidence from two studies in Slovakia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Šrol ◽  
Vladimira Cavojova ◽  
Eva Ballová Mikušková
Keyword(s):  
Social Groups ◽  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Prejudice And Discrimination ◽  
Negative Feelings

One of the appeals of conspiracy theories in times of crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is that they provide a scapegoat – someone to blame for what has happened. By doing this, they increase distrust, negative feelings, and even hostility toward implicated actors, whether those are powerful social outgroups or one’s own government representatives. We report two studies to examine such social consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. In Study 1 (N = 501), we showed the distinct pattern of relationships between China-specific and generic COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and prejudice and discrimination toward three social groups associated with the pandemic. In Study 2 (N = 1024), lowered trust in government regulations and increased hostility associated with the COVID-19 and generic conspiracy beliefs predicted justification of and willingness to engage in non-compliance with government regulations, violent attacks on 5G masts, and anti-government protests. Also, across both studies, increased exposure to information about COVID-19 was associated with endorsing fewer conspiracy theories, but it also brought about stronger feelings of anxiety and lack of control, which in turn contributed to higher conspiracy belief. We highlight the potential social problems associated with the wide-spread COVID-19 conspiracy theories as well as potential solutions to counteract them.

scholarly journals “I did my own research”: Overconfidence, (dis)trust in science and conspiracy theories endorsement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Vranic ◽  
Ivana Hromatko ◽  
Mirjana Tonković
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Reasoning Abilities ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Health Related

<p>Epistemically suspect beliefs, such as endorsement of conspiracy theories or pseudoscientific claims are widespread even among highly educated individuals. The phenomenon of conspiratorial thinking is not new, yet the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a global health crisis of an unprecedented scale, facilitated the emergence and rapid spread of some rather radical health related pseudoscientific fallacies. Numerous correlates of the tendency to endorse conspiracy theories have already been addressed. However, many of them are not subject to an intervention. Here, we have tested a model that includes predictors ranging across stable characteristics such as demographics (gender, age, education, size of the place of residence), less stable general traits such as conservatism and overconfidence in one’s own reasoning abilities, to relatively changeable worldviews such as trust in science. A hierarchical regression analysis (<i>N</i>=859 participants) showed that included predictors explained a total of 46% of the variance of believing in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, with only gender, overconfidence and trust in science yielding significance. Trust in science was the strongest predictor, implying that campaigns aimed at enhancing public trust in both science as a process, and scientists as individuals conducting it, might contribute to the reduction in susceptibility to pseudoscientific claims. Furthermore, overconfidence in one’s own reasoning abilities was negatively correlated with an objective measure of reasoning (syllogisms test), and positively with the endorsement of conspiracy theories, indicating that so-called Dunning-Kruger effect plays a role in pseudoscientific conspiratorial thinking regarding COVID-19.</p>

Making Politics Palatable

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana C. Mutz
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Digital Video ◽  
Political Attitudes ◽  
Network News ◽  
Talk Shows ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Negative Effect

This chapter outlines the problems facing contemporary political television, regardless of whether it is experienced through network news or cable talk shows, or through a traditional television set in real time, a time-delayed recording, or as digital video over the Internet. By far the most robust negative effect on political attitudes from in-your-face politics is on trust in government and politicians. Incivility, in particular, lowers public evaluations of government and politicians. People watching uncivil repartee among political advocates come to think of politicians and government officials as unbound by the rules of civil behavior. Furthermore, when incivility is combined with up-close camera perspectives that make political advocates seem genuinely close and in their faces, viewers are apt to punish the person with whom they disagree and demonize the opposition.

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 Re-thinking Information Ethics: Truth, Conspiracy Theories, and Librarians in the COVID-19 Era

Libri ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Peter Lor ◽  
Bradley Wiles ◽  
Johannes Britz
Keyword(s):  
Public Information ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Public ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Ethical Basis

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic is an international public health crisis without precedent in the last century. The novelty and rapid spread of the virus have added a new urgency to the availability and distribution of reliable information to help curb its fatal potential. As seasoned and trusted purveyors of reliable public information, librarians have attempted to respond to the “infodemic” of fake news, disinformation, and propaganda with a variety of strategies, but the COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique challenge because of the deadly stakes involved. The seriousness of the current situation requires that librarians and associated professionals re-evaluate the ethical basis of their approach to information provision to counter the growing prominence of conspiracy theories in the public sphere and official decision making. This paper analyzes the conspiracy mindset and specific COVID-19 conspiracy theories in discussing how libraries might address the problems of truth and untruth in ethically sound ways. As a contribution to the re-evaluation we propose, the paper presents an ethical framework based on alethic rights—or rights to truth—as conceived by Italian philosopher Franca D’Agostini and how these might inform professional approaches that support personal safety, open knowledge, and social justice.

scholarly journals Social Media as Vehicle for Conspiracy Beliefs on COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-39
Author(s):  
Andreas Goreis ◽  
Oswald D. Kothgassner
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Differential Effects ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Social Media Platforms

Highlights: Conspiracy beliefs are spread via social media platforms and may have a negative impact on preventive health measures Preventive measures against fear and misinformation need to consider the differential effects of different forms of conspiracy theories on behavior Fostering awareness in society about COVID-19 misinformation in social media is crucial.

scholarly journals Psychological Correlates of COVID-19 Conspiracy Beliefs and Preventive Measures: Evidence from Turkey

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinan Alper ◽  
Fatih Bayrak ◽  
Onurcan Yilmaz
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Uncertainty Avoidance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Cognitive Reflection ◽  
Psychological Correlates ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs

COVID-19 pandemic has led to popular conspiracy theories regarding its origins and widespread concern over the level of compliance with preventive measures. In the current preregistered research, we recruited 1088 Turkish participants and investigated (a) individual differences associated with COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs; (b) whether such conspiracy beliefs are related to the level of preventive measures; and (c) other individual differences that might be related to the preventive measures. Higher faith in intuition, uncertainty avoidance, impulsivity, generic conspiracy beliefs, religiosity, and right-wing ideology, and a lower level of cognitive reflection were associated with a higher level of belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. There was no association between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and preventive measures while perceived risk was positively and impulsivity negatively correlated with preventive measures. We discuss the implications and directions for future research.

scholarly journals “I did my own research”: Overconfidence, (dis)trust in science and conspiracy theories endorsement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Vranic ◽  
Ivana Hromatko ◽  
Mirjana Tonković
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Reasoning Abilities ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Health Related

<p>Epistemically suspect beliefs, such as endorsement of conspiracy theories or pseudoscientific claims are widespread even among highly educated individuals. The phenomenon of conspiratorial thinking is not new, yet the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a global health crisis of an unprecedented scale, facilitated the emergence and rapid spread of some rather radical health related pseudoscientific fallacies. Numerous correlates of the tendency to endorse conspiracy theories have already been addressed. However, many of them are not subject to an intervention. Here, we have tested a model that includes predictors ranging across stable characteristics such as demographics (gender, age, education, size of the place of residence), less stable general traits such as conservatism and overconfidence in one’s own reasoning abilities, to relatively changeable worldviews such as trust in science. A hierarchical regression analysis (<i>N</i>=859 participants) showed that included predictors explained a total of 46% of the variance of believing in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, with only gender, overconfidence and trust in science yielding significance. Trust in science was the strongest predictor, implying that campaigns aimed at enhancing public trust in both science as a process, and scientists as individuals conducting it, might contribute to the reduction in susceptibility to pseudoscientific claims. Furthermore, overconfidence in one’s own reasoning abilities was negatively correlated with an objective measure of reasoning (syllogisms test), and positively with the endorsement of conspiracy theories, indicating that so-called Dunning-Kruger effect plays a role in pseudoscientific conspiratorial thinking regarding COVID-19.</p>

scholarly journals Finding Someone to Blame: The Link Between COVID-19 Conspiracy Beliefs, Prejudice, Support for Violence, and Other Negative Social Outcomes

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Šrol ◽  
Vladimíra Čavojová ◽  
Eva Ballová Mikušková
Keyword(s):  
Social Problems ◽  
Social Outcomes ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Government Regulations ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Conspiracy Beliefs ◽  
Negative Feelings

One of the appeals of conspiracy theories in times of crises is that they provide someone to blame for what has happened. Thereby, they increase distrust, negative feelings, and hostility toward implicated actors, whether those are powerful social outgroups or one’s own government representatives. Two studies reported here examine associations of COVID-19 conspiracy theories with prejudice, support for violence, and other and negative social outcomes. In Study 1 (N = 501), the endorsement of the more specific conspiracy theories about the alleged role of China was associated with more prejudiced views of Chinese and Italian people. In Study 2 (N = 1024), lowered trust in government regulations and increased hostility associated with the COVID-19 and generic conspiracy beliefs were correlated with justification of and willingness to engage in non-compliance with regulations, violent attacks on 5G masts, and anti-government protests. Across both of the studies, higher exposure to news about COVID-19 was associated with lower endorsement of conspiracy theories, but also with increased feelings of anxiety and lack of control, which in turn were correlated with higher COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs endorsement. We highlight the potential social problems which are associated with the wide-spread endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories.

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