1
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Sallam M, Kareem N, Alkurtas M. The negative impact of misinformation and vaccine conspiracy on COVID-19 vaccine uptake and attitudes among the general public in Iraq. Prev Med Rep 2024; 43:102791. [PMID: 38947232 PMCID: PMC11214192 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Vaccine hesitancy is a major barrier to infectious disease control. Previous studies showed high rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the Middle East. The current study aimed to investigate the attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among adult population in Iraq. Methods This self-administered survey-based study was conducted in August-September 2022. The survey instrument assessed participants' demographics, attitudes to COVID-19 vaccination, beliefs in COVID-19 misinformation, vaccine conspiracy beliefs, and sources of information regarding the vaccine. Results The study sample comprised a total of 2544 individuals, with the majority reporting the uptake of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccination (n = 2226, 87.5 %). Positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination were expressed by the majority of participants (n = 1966, 77.3 %), while neutral and negative attitudes were expressed by 345 (13.6 %) and 233 (9.2 %) participants, respectively. Factors associated with positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in multivariate analysis included disbelief in COVID-19 misinformation and disagreement with vaccine conspiracies. Higher COVID-19 vaccine uptake was significantly associated with previous history of COVID-19 infection, higher income, residence outside the Capital, disbelief in COVID-19 misinformation, disagreement with vaccine conspiracies, and reliance on reputable information sources. Conclusion COVID-19 vaccine coverage was high among the participants, with a majority having positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Disbelief in COVID-19 misinformation and disagreement with vaccine conspiracies were correlated with positive vaccine attitudes and higher vaccine uptake. These insights can inform targeted interventions to enhance vaccination campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malik Sallam
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
- Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan
| | - Nariman Kareem
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| | - Mohammed Alkurtas
- Department of Pathology, Al-Kindy College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
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2
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Poon KT, Chan RSW, Lai HS, Jiang Y, Teng F. Watching for a snake in the grass: Objectification increases conspiracy beliefs. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 38780089 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Objectification, being treated as a tool to achieve someone's instrumental goals, is a common phenomenon. A workplace supervisor may view employees solely in terms of their output; likewise, friends may be seen only for their potential for personal and social advancement. We conducted five studies (N = 1209) to test whether objectification increases conspiracy beliefs through thwarted trust and whether postobjectification increases in conspiracy beliefs carry behavioural implications. While conspiracy beliefs may have evolved as a strategy for survival, they may be considered maladaptive in the modern world. Therefore, understanding the antecedents, underlying mechanisms, and implications of conspiracy beliefs is essential. We measured (Study 1) and manipulated objectification (Studies 2-5), consistently finding that objectification decreased trust, thereby increasing conspiracy beliefs (Studies 1-5). This effect remained after considering negative emotions (Study 2). Increased conspiracy beliefs following objectification positively predicted unethical tendencies, and the effect of objectification on unethical tendencies was serially mediated by trust and conspiracy beliefs (Study 4). Restoring objectified people's trust weakened their conspiracy beliefs and unethical tendencies (Study 5). We discussed the implications of our findings, proposing directions for researchers, practitioners, managers, and policymakers for theoretical advancement, healthier coping, and promotion of well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Tak Poon
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Psychosocial Health, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Rheal S W Chan
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Psychosocial Health, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Hill-Son Lai
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Psychosocial Health, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yufei Jiang
- Department of Administrative Management, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei Teng
- School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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3
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Balfe M. Key sociological concepts for medicine: medical conspiracy theories. J R Soc Med 2024:1410768241245590. [PMID: 38657093 DOI: 10.1177/01410768241245590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Myles Balfe
- Department of Sociology, University College Cork, Cork T12 K8AF, Ireland
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4
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Leclercq S, Szaffarczyk S, Leptourgos P, Yger P, Fakhri A, Wathelet M, Bouttier V, Denève S, Jardri R. Conspiracy beliefs and perceptual inference in times of political uncertainty. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9001. [PMID: 38637589 PMCID: PMC11026417 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-59434-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Sociopolitical crises causing uncertainty have accumulated in recent years, providing fertile ground for the emergence of conspiracy ideations. Computational models constitute valuable tools for understanding the mechanisms at play in the formation and rigidification of these unshakeable beliefs. Here, the Circular Inference model was used to capture associations between changes in perceptual inference and the dynamics of conspiracy ideations in times of uncertainty. A bistable perception task and conspiracy belief assessment focused on major sociopolitical events were administered to large populations from three polarized countries. We show that when uncertainty peaks, an overweighting of sensory information is associated with conspiracy ideations. Progressively, this exploration strategy gives way to an exploitation strategy in which increased adherence to conspiracy theories is associated with the amplification of prior information. Overall, the Circular Inference model sheds new light on the possible mechanisms underlying the progressive strengthening of conspiracy theories when individuals face highly uncertain situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salomé Leclercq
- INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition Centre, CURE Platform, Fontan Hospital, Lille University, 59000, Lille, France.
| | - Sébastien Szaffarczyk
- INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition Centre, CURE Platform, Fontan Hospital, Lille University, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Pantelis Leptourgos
- INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition Centre, CURE Platform, Fontan Hospital, Lille University, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Pierre Yger
- INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition Centre, CURE Platform, Fontan Hospital, Lille University, 59000, Lille, France
| | | | - Marielle Wathelet
- INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition Centre, CURE Platform, Fontan Hospital, Lille University, 59000, Lille, France
| | - Vincent Bouttier
- INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition Centre, CURE Platform, Fontan Hospital, Lille University, 59000, Lille, France
- LNC, INSERM U-960, Institut de Sciences Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Denève
- LNC, INSERM U-960, Institut de Sciences Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Renaud Jardri
- INSERM U1172, CHU Lille, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition Centre, CURE Platform, Fontan Hospital, Lille University, 59000, Lille, France.
- LNC, INSERM U-960, Institut de Sciences Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure, 75005, Paris, France.
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5
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Zeng ZX, Tian CY, Mao JY, van Prooijen JW, Zhang Y, Yang SL, Xie XN, Guo YY. How does economic inequality shape conspiracy theories? Empirical evidence from China. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024; 63:477-498. [PMID: 37864466 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Conspiracy theories tend to be prevalent, particularly in societies with high economic inequality. However, few studies have examined the relationship between economic inequality and belief in conspiracy theories. We propose that economic inequality leads people to believe conspiracy theories about economically advantaged groups (i.e., upwards conspiracy theories) and that moral evaluations of those groups mediate this relationship. Study 1 (N = 300) found support for these ideas in a survey among Chinese residents. Study 2 (N = 160) manipulated participants' perceptions of economic inequality in a virtual society. The manipulation shaped moral evaluations of economically advantaged groups, and conspiracy beliefs, in the predicted manner. In Study 3 (N = 191) and Study 4 (N = 210), we experimentally manipulated participants' perceptions of economic inequality in real Chinese society and replicated the results of Study 2. In addition, in Study 4, we find that economic inequality predicts belief in conspiracy theories about economically disadvantaged groups (i.e., downward conspiracy theories), which was mediated by anomie. We conclude that perceived economic inequality predicts conspiracy theories about economically advantaged groups and that moral evaluations account for this effect. Also, upward and downward conspiracy theory beliefs are associated with different psychological processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Xie Zeng
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Cai-Yu Tian
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jia-Yan Mao
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jan-Willem van Prooijen
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Yue Zhang
- Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shen-Long Yang
- School of Humanities and Social Science, Institute of Social Psychology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiao-Na Xie
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yong-Yu Guo
- School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
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6
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Fernbach PM, Bogard JE. Conspiracy Theory as Individual and Group Behavior: Observations from the Flat Earth International Conference. Top Cogn Sci 2024; 16:187-205. [PMID: 37202921 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Conspiratorial thinking has been with humanity for a long time but has recently grown as a source of societal concern and as a subject of research in the cognitive and social sciences. We propose a three-tiered framework for the study of conspiracy theories: (1) cognitive processes, (2) the individual, and (3) social processes and communities of knowledge. At the level of cognitive processes, we identify explanatory coherence and faulty belief updating as critical ideas. At the level of the community of knowledge, we explore how conspiracy communities facilitate false belief by promoting a contagious sense of understanding, and how community norms catalyze the biased assimilation of evidence. We review recent research on conspiracy theories and explain how conspiratorial thinking emerges from the interaction of individual and group processes. As a case study, we describe observations the first author made while attending the Flat Earth International Conference, a meeting of conspiracy theorists who believe the Earth is flat. Rather than treating conspiracy belief as pathological, we take the perspective that is an extreme outcome of common cognitive processes.
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7
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Freelon D. The shared psychological roots of prejudice and conspiracy theory belief. Curr Opin Psychol 2024; 56:101773. [PMID: 38118270 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023]
Abstract
The psychological literature on prejudice and conspiracy theory belief have generally remained distinct, implicitly treating the two as unrelated phenomena. In this brief review, I demonstrate that the two phenomena share at least three dispositional precursors: ingroup bias, right-wing ideology (specifically right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation), and need for closure. The evidence I present suggests that prejudice and conspiracy beliefs may be more closely related both conceptually and normatively than existing research has indicated. In particular, they may appear in the same individuals, cause similar kinds of harms in adherents as well as target populations, and respond to similar counteractive interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deen Freelon
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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8
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Saleh W, Jami H, Kamran M, Kundi GM. Developing an attitude toward polio vaccination scale and establishing its psychometric properties in Pakistani context for indigenous and international researchers. Int J Health Sci (Qassim) 2024; 18:38-49. [PMID: 38455598 PMCID: PMC10915917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives Negative attitudes toward polio vaccination in Pakistan are threatening the global polio eradication efforts by encouraging vaccine refusals and attacks on polio workers. The present research explored the underlying dimensions of these attitudes and their correlates: Uncertainty and belief in conspiracy theories. Methods This research began with the development of an item pool generated with the help of an open-ended survey of university students (n = 44). Face and content validity assessment by subject experts (n = 9) led to an initial version of the attitude toward polio vaccination scale (ATPVS). This scale was administered to a sample of Pakistani adults (n = 620) through two means: Paper-and-pencil survey and an online survey. Results Exploratory factor analysis on one-half of the sample (n = 310) suggested a factor structure consisting of two internally consistent factors: Scepticism and Advocacy. On second half of the sample (n = 310), confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of this scale. Hypothesis testing for convergent validity on the total sample (n = 620) revealed that self-uncertainty was positively related to scepticism and negatively related to advocacy. Whereas conspiracy mentality was positively associated with both of these components which indicates an understudied aspect of this construct related to concern for social welfare. Conclusion Scepticism and advocacy of the polio vaccination campaign represent attitudes toward polio vaccination in Pakistan with self-uncertainty and conspiracy mentality being their significant correlates. Capitalizing on these variables in designing a vaccination promotion campaign may yield benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warda Saleh
- Department of Psychology, Government Associate College for Women, Dhamial, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Humaira Jami
- National Institute of Psychology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Kamran
- Department of Education, University of Loralai, Balochistan, Pakistan
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9
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Alshehri S, Sallam M. Vaccine conspiracy association with higher COVID-19 vaccination side effects and negative attitude towards booster COVID-19, influenza and monkeypox vaccines: A pilot study in Saudi Universities. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2275962. [PMID: 37941437 PMCID: PMC10653693 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2275962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Conspiracies regarding vaccines are widely prevalent, with negative consequences on health-seeking behaviors. The current study aimed to investigate the possible association between the embrace of vaccine conspiracies and the attitude to booster COVID-19, seasonal influenza, and monkeypox (mpox) vaccinations as well as the perceived side effects following COVID-19 vaccination. The target population involved academic staff and university students in health colleges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed in January 2023 to collect data on participants' demographics, self-reported side effects following each dose, willingness to get booster COVID-19, seasonal influenza, and mpox vaccinations, as well as an evaluation of vaccine conspiracies and attitude to mandatory vaccination. Among the 273 participants, the willingness to receive yearly booster COVID-19 vaccination was observed among 26.0% of the participants, while it was 46.9% and 34.1% for seasonal influenza and mpox vaccinations, respectively. Multinomial logistic regression analyses demonstrated a significant correlation between endorsing vaccine conspiracies and higher frequency of self-reported side effects following uptake of the second and third doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine conspiracies were also correlated with attitude toward booster COVID-19, influenza, mpox, and mandatory vaccination. The findings of this pilot study highlighted the potential adverse impact of the preexisting notions and negative attitudes toward vaccines, which could have contributed to heightened perceived side effects following COVID-19 vaccination. The study also highlighted the ongoing divisions concerning mandatory vaccination policies, emphasizing the need for cautious implementation of this strategy as a last resort for public health benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samiyah Alshehri
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Malik Sallam
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
- Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan
- Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
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10
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Jovanović V, Lazić M, Gavrilov-Jerković V, Zotović-Kostić M, Obradović V. Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale: Validation and Measurement Invariance in a Youth Sample. Eval Health Prof 2023; 46:362-370. [PMID: 37042299 DOI: 10.1177/01632787231170237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
The Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (VCBS) is a widely used measure of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines, but evidence of its validity and measurement invariance, especially in youth samples, is still largely missing. The present study examined VCBS scores' factor structure, measurement invariance, convergent and discriminant validity, and incremental predictive validity. A sample of 803 Serbian youths (age range 15-24; 59.2% females) was recruited for the study. A modified single-factor model of the VCBS was supported, and showed evidence of full scalar invariance across gender, age, vaccination status, and personal history of COVID-19. Evidence of the VCBS scores' convergent and discriminant validity was obtained by examining associations with general conspiracy beliefs, vaccination attitudes, vaccination knowledge, intentions to get vaccinated against COVID-19, paranoia worries, fear of injections and blood draws, importance of God, self-rated health, and self-rated family's financial situation. The VCBS scores predicted a unique variance in the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19, over and above vaccination attitudes and vaccination knowledge. The results suggest that the VCBS is a valid measure of vaccine conspiracy beliefs in youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veljko Jovanović
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Milica Lazić
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | | | - Marija Zotović-Kostić
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
| | - Vojana Obradović
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
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11
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Caycho-Rodríguez T, Tomás JM, Yupanqui-Lorenzo DE, Valencia PD, Carbajal-León C, Vilca LW, Ventura-León J, Paredes-Angeles R, Arias Gallegos WL, Reyes-Bossio M, Delgado-Campusano M, Gallegos M, Rojas-Jara C, Polanco-Carrasco R, Cervigni M, Martino P, Lobos-Rivera ME, Moreta-Herrera R, Palacios Segura DA, Samaniego-Pinho A, Buschiazzo Figares A, Puerta-Cortés DX, Camargo A, Torales J, Monge Blanco JA, González P, Smith-Castro V, Petzold-Rodriguez O, Corrales-Reyes IE, Calderón R, Matute Rivera WY, Ferrufino-Borja D, Ceballos-Vásquez P, Muñoz-del-Carpio-Toia A, Palacios J, Burgos-Videla C, Florez León AME, Vergara I, Vega D, Shulmeyer MK, Barria-Asenjo NA, Urrutia Rios HT, Lira Lira AE. Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19, Conspiracy Beliefs About Vaccines and Intention to Vaccinate Against COVID-19: A Cross-National Indirect Effect Model in 13 Latin American Countries. Eval Health Prof 2023; 46:371-383. [PMID: 37439361 PMCID: PMC10345832 DOI: 10.1177/01632787231186621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The present study explored the predictive capacity of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the influence in this relationship of conspiracy beliefs as a possible mediating psychological variable, in 13 Latin American countries. A total of 5779 people recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling participated. To collect information, we used the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Vaccine conspiracy beliefs Scale-COVID-19 and a single item of intention to vaccinate. A full a priori Structural Equation Model was used; whereas, cross-country invariance was performed from increasingly restricted structural models. The results indicated that, fear of COVID-19 positively predicts intention to vaccinate and the presence of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The latter negatively predicted intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Besides, conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines had an indirect effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the 13 countries assessed. Finally, the cross-national similarities of the mediational model among the 13 participating countries are strongly supported. The study is the first to test a cross-national mediational model across variables in a large number of Latin American countries. However, further studies with other countries in other regions of the world are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José M. Tomás
- Department of Methodology for the Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de Valencia, España
| | | | - Pablo D. Valencia
- Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Tlanepantla de Baz, Mexico
| | - Carlos Carbajal-León
- South American Center for Education and Research in Public Health, Universidad Norbert Wiener, Lima, Peru
| | - Lindsey W. Vilca
- South American Center for Education and Research in Public Health, Universidad Norbert Wiener, Lima, Peru
| | - José Ventura-León
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Privada del Norte, Lima, Peru
| | - Rubí Paredes-Angeles
- CRONICAS Center of Excellence in Chronic Diseases, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Mario Reyes-Bossio
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Miguel Gallegos
- Programa de Pós-graduação de Psicologia, Pontificia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina
| | - Claudio Rojas-Jara
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Departamento de Psicología, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | | | - Mauricio Cervigni
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina
- Centro de Investigación en Neurociencias de Rosario, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina
| | - Pablo Martino
- Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Ciencias del Comportamiento (LICIC), Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
| | - Marlon Elías Lobos-Rivera
- Escuela de Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador
| | | | | | - Antonio Samaniego-Pinho
- Carrera de Psicología, Facultad de Filosofía, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Asunción, Paraguay
| | | | | | - Andrés Camargo
- School of Health and Sport Sciences, Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Julio Torales
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
| | | | | | - Vanessa Smith-Castro
- Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
| | | | - Ibraín Enrique Corrales-Reyes
- Servicio de Cirugía Maxilofacial, Hospital General Universitario Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Granma, Bayamo, Cuba
| | - Raymundo Calderón
- Colegio Estatal de Psicólogos en Intervención de Jalisco A.C. Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
| | | | - Daniela Ferrufino-Borja
- Facultad de Humanidades, Comunicación y Artes, Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | - Paula Ceballos-Vásquez
- Departamento de Enfermería, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Agueda Muñoz-del-Carpio-Toia
- Vicerrectorado de Investigación, Escuela de Postgrado, Escuela de Medicina Humana, Universidad Católica de Santa María, Arequipa, Perú
| | - Jorge Palacios
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad del Valle de México, Querétaro, México
| | - Carmen Burgos-Videla
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Sociales y Educación, Universidad de Atacama, Copiapó, Chile
| | | | - Ibeth Vergara
- Asociación Panameña de Psicólogos, Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá
- Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Latina de Panamá, Panamá
| | - Diego Vega
- Escuela de Psicologia, Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Marion K. Shulmeyer
- Facultad de Humanidades, Comunicación y Artes, Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
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12
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Caycho-Rodríguez T, Tomás JM, Vilca LW, Carbajal-León C, Gallegos M, Reyes-Bossio M, Oré-Kovacs N, Muñoz-Del-Carpio-Toia Á, Torales J, Barria-Asenjo NA, Garcia-Cadena CH. Relationship Between Fear of Monkeypox and Intention to be Vaccinated Against Monkeypox in a Peruvian Sample. The Mediating Role of Conspiracy Beliefs About Monkeypox. Eval Health Prof 2023; 46:353-361. [PMID: 37246714 DOI: 10.1177/01632787231180195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The present study evaluated the predictive capacity of fear of Monkeypox (MPX) on the intention to be vaccinated against MPX and the influence of conspiracy beliefs as a mediating variable in this relationship in 516 Peruvian sample with an average age of 27.10 years participated. Monkeypox Fear Scale, MPX Conspiracy Beliefs Scale and a single item of intention to be vaccinated against MPX were used. Statistical analyses have included estimation of descriptive statistics for all variables in the model tested and Structural Equation Modeling to predict intention to be vaccinated against monkeypox. It has been found that fear has a positive impact on conspiracy beliefs about MPX and intention to be vaccinated against MPX. Finally, conspiracy beliefs are negatively related to intention to be vaccinated. As for indirect effects, both are statistically significant. The model explains 11.4% of the variance in beliefs and 19.1% in intention to be vaccinated. It is concluded that fear of MPX played an important role, both directly and indirectly, in the intention to be vaccinated against MPX, having conspiratorial beliefs about MPX as a mediating variable. The results have important implications for public health practices aimed at combating doubts about MPX vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José M Tomás
- Department of Methodology for the Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, España
| | - Lindsey W Vilca
- South American Center for Education and Research in Public Health, Universidad Norbert Wiener, Lima, Peru
| | - Carlos Carbajal-León
- South American Center for Education and Research in Public Health, Universidad Norbert Wiener, Lima, Peru
| | - Miguel Gallegos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Psicologia, Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brasil
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud y del Comportamiento, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Entre Ríos, Argentina
| | - Mario Reyes-Bossio
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru
| | - Nicole Oré-Kovacs
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru
| | | | - Julio Torales
- Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, San Lorenzo, Paraguay
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Nowakowska I, Markiewicz M, Pankowski D, Wytrychiewicz-Pankowska K, Banasiak A, Pisula E. Sense of safety and opinions about COVID-19 vaccinations in Polish school teachers: the role of conspiracy theories belief and fear of COVID-19. THE JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 163:895-916. [PMID: 36476155 DOI: 10.1080/00224545.2022.2151404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The co-occurrence of COVID-19 conspiracy theories (CCT) and fear of the coronavirus (FCV) can be linked to how safe people feel and how much they endorse vaccinations. School teachers were one of the vaccination priority groups in Poland. We conducted three cross-sectional studies (N1 = 1006; N2 = 1689; N3 = 627) to find out the potential interaction effects of CCT belief and FCV in predicting sense of safety (SoS; Studies 1-3), opinions about vaccinations efficacy (Studies 2-3) and endorsement of vaccinations of children (Study 3) among school teachers. In all three studies, the belief in CCT was related to lower SoS only when FCV was low. For low CCT belief, although the belief in vaccination efficacy was higher than for CCT endorsers, it was unrelated to FCV. However, for high and average CCT belief, FCV was linked to belief in vaccination efficacy. FCV was positively related to acceptance of vaccinating children on all levels of CCT endorsement. The results are discussed in light of the available literature and their potential use in public health.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Daniel Pankowski
- University of Warsaw
- University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw
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14
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Fotakis EA, Simou E. Belief in COVID-19 related conspiracy theories around the globe: A systematic review. Health Policy 2023; 137:104903. [PMID: 37688953 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2023.104903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
Conspiracy theories have been widespread in public discourses about COVID-19. Belief in conspiracy theories has negative effects on COVID-19 protective and preventive behaviour. However, evidence on the prevalence of belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, remains fragmented. We conducted a systematic review on the adult general population prevalence of belief in different COVID-19 conspiracy theories at country and regional level around the globe. Searches were performed in PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases (end of search: March 22, 2022). We followed guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We identified 1637 potentially relevant titles in our search and included 33 studies in our review, reflecting conspiracy theory endorsement between March 2020 and August 2021. We found high belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories in most studies: 29 studies measured at least one conspiracy theory belief prevalence ≥20%. For several conspiracy theories, e.g. "Lab origin" or "Destabilization and power gain", prevalence was often between 20 and 50%. Our findings call for increased awareness about COVID-19 conspiracy theories and the need for tailored, context specific conspiracy theory preparedness, prevention and control. Development and integration of a public health oriented communication and infodemic management strategy, alongside the implementation of conspiracy theory endorsement risk assessments are essential for supporting public health policy in future health emergencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanouil Alexandros Fotakis
- Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 196 Alexandras Avenue, Athens, Greece.
| | - Effie Simou
- Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 196 Alexandras Avenue, Athens, Greece
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15
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Knezevic G, Lazarević L, Purić D, Zupan Z, Žeželj I. Prevalence of questionable health behaviours in Serbia and their psychological roots: protocol for a nationally representative survey. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e075274. [PMID: 37827738 PMCID: PMC11148696 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION We will launch a national survey in Serbia to document the prevalence of two types of questionable health behaviours: (1) intentional non-adherence to medical recommendations and (2) use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine practices, as well as the relation between the two. We will also investigate their psychological roots, including (a) 'distal' predictors such as HEXACO personality traits (plus Disintegration) and thinking dispositions (rational/experiential thinking and cognitive reflexivity), and (b) 'proximal' predictors under the umbrella 'irrational mindset' (set of unfounded beliefs consisting of conspiratorial thinking, superstition, magical health beliefs as well as selected cognitive biases), which have more content-wise overlap with the health behaviours. METHODS AND ANALYSIS In this cross-sectional study, a research agency will collect data from a nationally representative sample (n=1043; age 18-75 years; estimated start/end-June/November 2021) recruited online (approximately, 70% of the sample, aged 18-54; 11 years) and face-to-face (approximately, 30% of the sample, aged 55-75 years). Participants will complete a battery of tests assessing questionable health behaviours, basic personality traits, thinking dispositions, irrational mindset, sociopolitical beliefs, sociodemographic and health-related variables. Prevalence rates will be calculated using descriptive statistics. To explore the relation between (psychological) predictors and questionable health behaviours, we will use hierarchical regression and partial mediation models (path analysis or full SEM models). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethical Committees of the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade (#935/1), Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation (#139/1) and Faculty of Media and Communications (#228) approved the protocol. Only participants who provide informed consent will participate in the study. A research report based on the study results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and results will be made available to stakeholders through reports on the project website https://reasonforhealth.f.bg.ac.rs/en/ and disseminated via social media. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT05808660.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goran Knezevic
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ljiljana Lazarević
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Danka Purić
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Zorana Zupan
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Iris Žeželj
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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Gundersen AB, van der Linden S, Piksa M, Morzy M, Piasecki J, Ryguła R, Gwiaździński P, Noworyta K, Kunst JR. The role of perceived minority-group status in the conspiracy beliefs of factual majority groups. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221036. [PMID: 37859838 PMCID: PMC10582598 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests that minority-group members sometimes are more susceptible to misinformation. Two complementary studies examined the influence of perceived minority status on susceptibility to misinformation and conspiracy beliefs. In study 1 (n = 2140), the perception of belonging to a minority group, rather than factually belonging to it, was most consistently related with an increased susceptibility to COVID-19 misinformation across national samples from the USA, the UK, Germany and Poland. Specifically, perceiving that one belongs to a gender minority group particularly predicted susceptibility to misinformation when participants factually did not belong to it. In pre-registered study 2 (n = 1823), an experiment aiming to manipulate the minority perceptions of men failed to influence conspiracy beliefs in the predicted direction. However, pre-registered correlational analyses showed that men who view themselves as a gender minority were more prone to gender conspiracy beliefs and exhibited a heightened conspiracy mentality. This effect was correlationally mediated by increased feelings of system identity threat, collective narcissism, group relative deprivation and actively open-minded thinking. Especially, the perception of being a minority in terms of power and influence (as compared to numerically) was linked to these outcomes. We discuss limitations and practical implications for countering misinformation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Michał Piksa
- Department of Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Mikołaj Morzy
- Institute of Computing Science, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland
| | - Jan Piasecki
- Department of Philosophy and Bioethics, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
| | - Rafał Ryguła
- Department of Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Paweł Gwiaździński
- Department of Philosophy and Bioethics, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Philosophy and Sociology, Pedagogical University of Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Karolina Noworyta
- Department of Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Jonas R. Kunst
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Postboks 1094 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
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van Prooijen JW, Amodio DM, Boot A, Eerland A, Etienne T, Krouwel APM, Onderco M, Verkoeijen P, Zwaan RA. A longitudinal analysis of conspiracy beliefs and Covid-19 health responses. Psychol Med 2023; 53:5709-5716. [PMID: 36154946 PMCID: PMC10482717 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291722002938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about how conspiracy beliefs and health responses are interrelated over time during the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. This longitudinal study tested two contrasting, but not mutually exclusive, hypotheses through cross-lagged modeling. First, based on the consequential nature of conspiracy beliefs, we hypothesize that conspiracy beliefs predict an increase in detrimental health responses over time. Second, as people may rationalize their behavior through conspiracy beliefs, we hypothesize that detrimental health responses predict increased conspiracy beliefs over time. METHODS We measured conspiracy beliefs and several health-related responses (i.e. physical distancing, support for lockdown policy, and the perception of the coronavirus as dangerous) at three phases of the pandemic in the Netherlands (N = 4913): During the first lockdown (Wave 1: April 2020), after the first lockdown (Wave 2: June 2020), and during the second lockdown (Wave 3: December 2020). RESULTS For physical distancing and perceived danger, the overall cross-lagged effects supported both hypotheses, although the standardized effects were larger for the effects of conspiracy beliefs on these health responses than vice versa. The within-person change results only supported an effect of conspiracy beliefs on these health responses, depending on the phase of the pandemic. Furthermore, an overall cross-lagged effect of conspiracy beliefs on reduced support for lockdown policy emerged from Wave 2 to 3. CONCLUSIONS The results provide stronger support for the hypothesis that conspiracy beliefs predict health responses over time than for the hypothesis that health responses predict conspiracy beliefs over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Willem van Prooijen
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - David M. Amodio
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Social Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Arnout Boot
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Anita Eerland
- Department of Communication Science, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Tom Etienne
- Kieskompas, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Political Science & Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - André P. M. Krouwel
- Departments of Political Science and Communication Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Michal Onderco
- Department of Public Administration and Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Peace Research Center Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Peter Verkoeijen
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Brain and Learning Research Group, Learning and Innovation Center, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Breda, the Netherlands
| | - Rolf A. Zwaan
- Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Dallo I, Elroy O, Fallou L, Komendantova N, Yosipof A. Dynamics and characteristics of misinformation related to earthquake predictions on Twitter. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13391. [PMID: 37592002 PMCID: PMC10435459 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40399-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The spread of misinformation on social media can lead to inappropriate behaviors that can make disasters worse. In our study, we focused on tweets containing misinformation about earthquake predictions and analyzed their dynamics. To this end, we retrieved 82,129 tweets over a period of 2 years (March 2020-March 2022) and hand-labeled 4157 tweets. We used RoBERTa to classify the complete dataset and analyzed the results. We found that (1) there are significantly more not-misinformation than misinformation tweets; (2) earthquake predictions are continuously present on Twitter with peaks after felt events; and (3) prediction misinformation tweets sometimes link or tag official earthquake notifications from credible sources. These insights indicate that official institutions present on social media should continuously address misinformation (even in quiet times when no event occurred), check that their institution is not tagged/linked in misinformation tweets, and provide authoritative sources that can be used to support their arguments against unfounded earthquake predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Dallo
- Swiss Seismological Service at ETH Zurich, ETH Zurich, Sonnegstrasse 5, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Or Elroy
- Faculty of Information Systems and Computer Science, College of Law and Business, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Laure Fallou
- Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen/Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, Arpajon Cedex, France
| | | | - Abraham Yosipof
- Faculty of Information Systems and Computer Science, College of Law and Business, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
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Salazar-Fernández C, Baeza-Rivera MJ, Manríquez-Robles D, Salinas-Oñate N, Sallam M. From Conspiracy to Hesitancy: The Longitudinal Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Perceived Vaccine Effectiveness. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1150. [PMID: 37514966 PMCID: PMC10386435 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11071150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The embrace of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine conspiracies has been linked to vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories and perceived vaccine effectiveness. The study utilized a longitudinal follow-up study in which adults in Chile completed surveys in December 2020 (T1) and May 2021 (T2). The psychometric properties of the five-item instrument on conspiracy theories for the COVID-19 vaccine were evaluated using data from T1 (n = 578). A confirmatory one-factor structure with suitable indicators of reliability was found. The longitudinal analysis (n = 292) revealed that conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine in T1 were associated with lower beliefs in its effectiveness in T2. However, no significant association was found between beliefs in effectiveness in T1 and conspiracy theories in T2. The study suggests that beliefs in conspiracy theories may temporally precede beliefs in vaccine effectiveness for COVID-19. The results have implications for strategies to address vaccine conspiracy beliefs and their implementation at the public policy level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María José Baeza-Rivera
- Laboratorio de Interacciones, Cultura y Salud, Departamento de Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco 4810101, Chile
| | - Diego Manríquez-Robles
- Laboratorio de Interacciones, Cultura y Salud, Departamento de Psicología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Católica de Temuco, Temuco 4810101, Chile
| | - Natalia Salinas-Oñate
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco 4811322, Chile
| | - Malik Sallam
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
- Department of Clinical Laboratories and Forensic Medicine, Jordan University Hospital, Amman 11942, Jordan
- Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, 22184 Malmö, Sweden
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20
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Youssef D, Bleibel L, Abboud E. Following the COVID-19 playbook and battling another infodemic: conspiracy beliefs around human monkeypox among the Lebanese population. J Pharm Policy Pract 2023; 16:72. [PMID: 37312223 DOI: 10.1186/s40545-023-00580-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The non-endemic multicountry outbreak of monkeypox (MPX) has emphasized the issue of conspiracy theories that go viral in times of societal crisis. Now, it is the turn of MPX to join COVID-19 in the conspiracy theory realm. Social media outlets were flooded by a scourge of misinformation as soon as MPX cases began to appear with an evident cross-pollination between diverse conspiracy theories. Given the adverse consequences of conspiracy beliefs, this study aimed to assess the extent of endorsement of MPX conspiracy beliefs among the Lebanese population and to identify its associated factors. METHODS Using a convenience sampling technique, a web-based cross section was conducted among Lebanese adults. Data were collected using an Arabic self-reported questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with the MPX conspiracy beliefs scale. RESULTS Conspiracy beliefs regarding emerging viruses including MPX were detected among 59.1% of Lebanese adults. Participants endorsed particularly the conspiracy theories linking the virus to a deliberate attempt to reduce the size of the global population (59.6%), gain political control (56.6%) or pharmaceutical companies' financial gain (39.3%), in addition to the manmade origin of MPX (47.5%). Remarkably, the majority of surveyed adults exhibited a negative attitude toward the government's preparedness for a potential MPX outbreak. However, a positive attitude was revealed toward the effectiveness of precautionary measures (69.6%). Female participants and those having a good health status were less likely to exhibit a higher level of conspiracy beliefs. On the contrary, divorced or widowed adults, those having a low economic situation, poor knowledge level, and negative attitude either toward the government or precautionary measures were more prone to disclose a higher level of conspiracy beliefs. Notably, participants relying on social media to get information about MPX were also more likely to have a higher level of conspiracy beliefs compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS The widespread extent of conspiracy beliefs endorsement regarding MPX among the Lebanese population urged the policymakers to find ways to reduce people's reliance on these theories. Future studies exploring the harmful impacts of conspiracy beliefs on health behaviors are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalal Youssef
- Clinical Trials Program, Ministry of Public Health, Beirut, Lebanon.
- Institut de Santé Publique d'Épidémiologie et de Développement (ISPED), Bordeaux University, Bordeaux, France.
- Institut National de Santé Publique, Epidémiologie Clinique et Toxicologie (INSPECT-LB), Beirut, Lebanon.
- Lebanese Higher Institute of Technical and Professional (IPNET), Beirut, Lebanon.
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21
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van Prooijen JW, Etienne TW, Kutiyski Y, Krouwel APM. Conspiracy beliefs prospectively predict health behavior and well-being during a pandemic. Psychol Med 2023; 53:2514-2521. [PMID: 34641992 PMCID: PMC8529348 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721004438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Revised: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conspiracy beliefs are associated with detrimental health attitudes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Most prior research on these issues was cross-sectional, however, and restricted to attitudes or behavioral intentions. The current research was designed to examine to what extent conspiracy beliefs predict health behavior and well-being over a longer period of time. METHODS In this preregistered multi-wave study on a large Dutch research panel (weighted to provide nationally representative population estimates), we examined if conspiracy beliefs early in the pandemic (April 2020) would predict a range of concrete health and well-being outcomes eight months later (December 2020; N = 5745). RESULTS The results revealed that Covid-19 conspiracy beliefs prospectively predicted a decreased likelihood of getting tested for corona; if tested, an increased likelihood of the test coming out positive; and, an increased likelihood of having violated corona regulations, deteriorated economic outcomes (job loss; reduced income), experiences of social rejection, and decreased overall well-being. Most of these effects generalized to a broader susceptibility to conspiracy theories (i.e. conspiracy mentality). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that conspiracy beliefs are associated with a myriad of negative life outcomes in the long run. Conspiracy beliefs predict how well people have coped with the pandemic over a period of eight months, as reflected in their health behavior, and their economic and social well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Willem van Prooijen
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU University, Amsterdam
- The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), the Netherlands
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Tom W. Etienne
- Kieskompas – Election Compass, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Department of Political Science, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA
| | | | - André P. M. Krouwel
- Department of Communication Science and Political Science, VU University, Amsterdam
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22
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Emotion dysregulation and belief in conspiracy theories. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.112042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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23
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Papaioannou K, Pantazi M, van Prooijen J. Is democracy under threat? Why belief in conspiracy theories predicts autocratic attitudes. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kostas Papaioannou
- National Centre for Social Research London UK
- Department of Political Science Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece
| | - Myrto Pantazi
- Oxford Internet Institute University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Center for Social and Cultural Psychology Université libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium
- Department of Psychology University of Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands
| | - Jan‐Willem van Prooijen
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology VU Amsterdam Amsterdam Netherlands
- The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR) Amsterdam Netherlands
- Maastricht University Maastricht Netherlands
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Mashuri A, Osteen C. Threat by Association, Islamic Puritanism and Conspiracy Beliefs Explain A Religious Majority Group’s Collective Protest Against Religious Minority Groups. PSYCHOLOGY AND DEVELOPING SOCIETIES 2023. [DOI: 10.1177/09713336231152312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Abstract
This article addresses the question of why members of a majority group, despite their more powerful status, may protest against low-power minority groups. The present study addressed this question in the context of immanent intergroup relations between Muslims, as the majority group, and non-Muslims, as the minority group, in Indonesia. It is argued that at the core of such collective protests is a threat by association, a perception of the majority group members that the minority groups are in league with the West which threatens the existence of Muslims worldwide. Based on data collected using a survey questionnaire from Indonesian Muslims ( N = 418) this study tested a hypothesised model using threat by association posed by the minority groups, Islamic puritanism and beliefs relating to western conspiracy to predict collective protests and intolerant intentions against non-Muslim minorities in Indonesia by using MPlus version 7.0. The hypothesised model found empirical support. The relationship between threat by association and Islamic puritanism with collective protests was mediated by Western conspiracy beliefs. It was also found that support for collective protests got translated into majority group members’ religious intolerant intentions against the people belonging to the non-Muslim minority groups. The article discusses the theoretical implications and research limitations of these empirical findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mashuri
- Department of Psychology, Universitas Brawijaya, Jl. Veteran, Malang, Indonesia
| | - Chad Osteen
- Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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25
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Pilch I, Turska-Kawa A, Wardawy P, Olszanecka-Marmola A, Smołkowska-Jędo W. Contemporary trends in psychological research on conspiracy beliefs. A systematic review. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1075779. [PMID: 36844318 PMCID: PMC9945548 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1075779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The number of psychological studies on conspiracy beliefs has been systematically growing for about a dozen years, but in recent years, the trend has intensified. We provided a review covering the psychological literature on conspiracy beliefs from 2018 to 2021. Halfway through this period, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, accompanied by an explosion of movements based on conspiracy theories, intensifying researchers' interest in this issue. Methods Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, the review systematically searched for relevant journal articles published between 2018 and 2021. A search was done on Scopus and Web of Science (only peer-reviewed journals). A study was included if it contained primary empirical data, if specific or general conspiracy belief(s) were measured and if its correlation with at least one other psychological variable was reported. All the studies were grouped for the descriptive analysis according to the methodology used, the participants' characteristics, the continent of origin, the sample size, and the conspiracy beliefs measurement tools. Due to substantial methodological heterogeneity of the studies, narrative synthesis was performed. The five researchers were assigned specific roles at each stage of the analysis to ensure the highest quality of the research. Results Following the proposed methodology, 308 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility and 274 articles (417 studies) meeting the inclusion criteria were identified and included in the review. Almost half of the studies (49.6%) were conducted in European countries. The vast majority of the studies (85.7%) were carried out on samples of adult respondents. The research presents antecedents as well as (potential) consequences of conspiracy beliefs. We grouped the antecedents of conspiracy beliefs into six categories: cognitive (e.g., thinking style) motivational (e.g., uncertainty avoidance), personality (e.g., collective narcissism), psychopathology (e.g., Dark Triad traits), political (e.g., ideological orientation), and sociocultural factors (e.g., collectivism). Conclusion and limitations The research presents evidence on the links between conspiracy beliefs and a range of attitudes and behaviors considered unfavorable from the point of view of individuals and of the society at large. It turned out that different constructs of conspiracy thinking interact with each other. The limitations of the study are discussed in the last part of the article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Pilch
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Turska-Kawa
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Science, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland,*Correspondence: Agnieszka Turska-Kawa,
| | - Paulina Wardawy
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Agata Olszanecka-Marmola
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Political Science, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Wiktoria Smołkowska-Jędo
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
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Brashier NM. Do conspiracy theorists think too much or too little? Curr Opin Psychol 2023; 49:101504. [PMID: 36577227 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Conspiracy theories explain distressing events as malevolent actions by powerful groups. Why do people believe in secret plots when other explanations are more probable? On the one hand, conspiracy theorists seem to disregard accuracy; they tend to endorse mutually incompatible conspiracies, think intuitively, use heuristics, and hold other irrational beliefs. But by definition, conspiracy theorists reject the mainstream explanation for an event, often in favor of a more complex account. They exhibit a general distrust of others and expend considerable effort to find 'evidence' supporting their beliefs. In searching for answers, conspiracy theorists likely expose themselves to misleading information online and overestimate their own knowledge. Understanding when elaboration and cognitive effort might backfire is crucial, as conspiracy beliefs lead to political disengagement, environmental inaction, prejudice, and support for violence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia M Brashier
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, 703 Third St, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
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27
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Papaioannou K, Pantazi M, van Prooijen JW. Unravelling the relationship between populism and belief in conspiracy theories: The role of cynicism, powerlessness and zero-sum thinking. Br J Psychol 2023; 114:159-175. [PMID: 36208392 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, it has been argued that conspiracy beliefs and populist attitudes go hand in hand. Despite their theoretical and empirical similarities, it remains unclear why these constructs are so closely associated. Across three studies, we examined the processes underlying the relationship between belief in conspiracy theories and populist attitudes. Study 1 (Greece, N = 275) and Study 2 (United Kingdom, N = 300) revealed that the relationship between populist attitudes and conspiracy beliefs is mediated by political cynicism and zero-sum thinking. In Study 3 (USA, N = 300, pre-registered), we use a vignette of a fictitious country to experimentally show that having a newly elected populist party in power (as compared to a well-established party) reduced participants' tendency to believe conspiracy theories. Moreover, this was due to increased empowerment, decreased political cynicism and decreased zero-sum thinking. These findings reveal various complementary mediators of the link between populist attitudes and conspiracy thinking and suggest that electing a populist party in power may reduce conspiracy beliefs among the public.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kostas Papaioannou
- Department of Political Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.,National Centre for Social Research, London, UK
| | - Myrto Pantazi
- Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Center for Social and Cultural Psychology, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jan-Willem van Prooijen
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Sinclair S, Agerström J. Do Social Norms Influence Young People's Willingness to Take the COVID-19 Vaccine? HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023; 38:152-159. [PMID: 34114897 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2021.1937832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Although young adults are not at great risk of becoming severely ill with COVID-19, their willingness to get vaccinated affects the whole community. Vaccine hesitancy has increased during recent years, and more research is needed on its situational determinants. This paper reports a preregistered experiment (N = 654) that examined whether communicating descriptive social norms - information about what most people do - is an effective way of influencing young people's intentions and reducing their hesitancy to take the COVID-19 vaccine. We found weak support for our main hypothesis that conveying strong (compared to weak) norms leads to reduced hesitancy and stronger intentions. Furthermore, norms did not produce significantly different effects compared to standard vaccine information from the authorities. Moreover, no support was found for the hypothesis that young people are more strongly influenced by norms when the norm reference group consists of other young individuals rather than people in general. These findings suggest that the practical usefulness of signaling descriptive norms is rather limited, and may not be more effective than standard appeals in the quest of encouraging young adults to trust and accept a new vaccine.
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Farias J, Pilati R. COVID-19 as an undesirable political issue: Conspiracy beliefs and intolerance of uncertainty predict adhesion to prevention measures. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 42:209-219. [PMID: 33551627 PMCID: PMC7851323 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01416-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Conspiracy theories thrive in moments of crises because they provide straightforward answers that assist individuals in coping with threats. The COVID-19 outbreak is such a crisis and is boosted by the political turmoil related to the politicization of the pandemic in some countries. To assess the role of political partisanship, intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and conspiracy beliefs in our two criterion variables (support for COVID-19 prevention measures and compliance with social distancing), we applied an online questionnaire to 662 participants. Our results indicate direct effects of political partisanship on support for COVID-19 prevention measures and non-compliance with social distancing while IU has not directly affected any of them. We have also found a significant effect of political partisanship on conspiracy theory dimensions involving personal wellbeing (PW) and control of information (CI) but not government malfeasance (GM) ones. Moreover, beliefs in CI theories predicted non-compliance with social distancing. Intolerance of uncertainty, on its turn, predicted the three dimensions of conspiracy beliefs. As to interaction effects, belief in GM, PW, and CI conspiracy theories moderated the effect of political partisanship on support for COVID-19 prevention measures whereas only belief in GM and PW theories moderated the effect of IU on past non-compliance with social distancing. Overall, our results suggest the relevance of diminishing politicization around the virus, providing basic scientific knowledge to the general population, and assisting individuals in coping with uncertainty. Besides, these findings provide insights into developing information campaigns to instruct the population to cope with the pandemic, producing behavioral change at societal and individual levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Farias
- Laboratory of Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Department of Social and Work Psychology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo Pilati
- Laboratory of Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Department of Social and Work Psychology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
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Varshney D, Vishwakarma DK. An automated multi-web platform voting framework to predict misleading information proliferated during COVID-19 outbreak using ensemble method. DATA KNOWL ENG 2023; 143:102103. [PMID: 36406205 PMCID: PMC9650682 DOI: 10.1016/j.datak.2022.102103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The spreading of misleading information on social web platforms has fuelled massive panic and confusion among the public regarding the Corona disease, the detection of which is of paramount importance. Previous studies mainly relied on a specific web platform to collect crucial evidence to detect fake content. The analysis identifies that retrieving clues from two or more different sources/web platforms gives more reliable prediction and confidence concerning a specific claim. This study proposed a novel multi-web platform voting framework that incorporates 4 sets of novel features: content, linguistic, similarity, and sentiments. The features have been gathered from each web-platforms to validate the news. To validate the fact/claim, a unique source platform is designed to collect relevant clues/headlines from two web platforms (YouTube, Google) based on specific queries and extracted features concerning each clue/headline. The proposed idea is to incorporate a unique platform to assist researchers in gathering relevant and vital evidence from diverse web platforms. After evaluation and validation, it has been identified that the built model is quite intelligent, gives promising results, and effectively predicts misleading information. The model correctly detected about 98% of the COVID misinformation on the constraint Covid-19 fake news dataset. Furthermore, it is observed that it is efficient to gather clues from multiple web platforms for more reliable predictions to validate the news. The suggested work depicts numerous practical applications for health policy-makers and practitioners that could be useful in safeguarding and implicating awareness among society from misleading information dissemination during this pandemic.
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Salvador Casara BG, Filippi S, Suitner C, Dollani E, Maass A. Tax the élites! The role of economic inequality and conspiracy beliefs on attitudes towards taxes and redistribution intentions. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2023; 62:104-118. [PMID: 35758713 PMCID: PMC10084418 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Taxation is one of the most widely acknowledged strategies to reduce inequality, particularly if based on progressivity. In a high-powered sample study (N = 2119) we investigated economic inequality and conspiracy beliefs as two key predictors of tax attitude and support for progressive taxation. We found that participants in the high economic inequality condition had lower levels of tax compliance and higher levels of conspiracy beliefs and support for progressive taxation. Furthermore, the effect of the experimental condition on tax compliance was mediated by conspiracy beliefs. Finally, conspiracy belief scores were positively associated with support for progressive taxation. Our results provide evidence that attitudes towards taxation are not monolithic but change considering the aims and targets of specific taxes. Indeed, while the perception of economic inequality prompts the desire for equal redistribution, it also fosters conspiracy narratives that undermine compliance with taxes.
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32
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Prooijen JWV, Imhoff R. The psychological study of conspiracy theories: Strengths and limitations. Curr Opin Psychol 2022; 48:101465. [PMID: 36191463 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Willem van Prooijen
- VU Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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33
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Heffernan KJ, Vetere F, Chang S. Socio-technical context for insertable devices. Front Psychol 2022; 13:991345. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.991345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In this article, we show that voluntarily inserting devices inside the body is contested and seek to understand why. This article discusses insertables as a source of contestation. To describe and understand the social acceptability, reactions toward, and rhetoric surrounding insertable devices, we examine (i) the technical capabilities of insertable devices (the technical context), (ii) human reactions toward insertables (the social context), and (iii) the regulatory environment. The paper offers explanations to the misperceptions about insertables.
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Bago B, Rand DG, Pennycook G. Does deliberation decrease belief in conspiracies? JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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35
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Tsamakis K, Tsiptsios D, Stubbs B, Ma R, Romano E, Mueller C, Ahmad A, Triantafyllis AS, Tsitsas G, Dragioti E. Summarising data and factors associated with COVID-19 related conspiracy theories in the first year of the pandemic: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. BMC Psychol 2022; 10:244. [PMID: 36320071 PMCID: PMC9623972 DOI: 10.1186/s40359-022-00959-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Conspiracy theories can have particularly harmful effects by negatively shaping health-related behaviours. A significant number of COVID-19 specific conspiracy theories emerged in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic outbreak. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic (2020), to identify their prevalence, their determinants and their public health consequences. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in PubMed and PsycINFO to detect all studies examining any conspiracy theory related to COVID-19 between January 1st 2020, and January 10th 2021. Forty-three studies were included with a total of 61,809 participants. Between 0.4 and 82.7% of participants agreed with at least one conspiracy belief. Certain sociodemographic factors (young age, female gender, being non-white, lower socioeconomic status), psychological aspects (pessimism, blaming others, anger) and other qualities (political conservatism, religiosity, mistrust in science and using social media as source of information) were associated with increased acceptance of conspiracy theories. Conspiracy beliefs led to harmful health-related behaviours and posed a serious public health threat. Large-scale collaborations between governments and healthcare organizations are needed to curb the spread of conspiracy theories and their adverse consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Tsamakis
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.5216.00000 0001 2155 0800Second Department of Psychiatry, Attikon University General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece ,grid.264200.20000 0000 8546 682XInstitute of Medical and Biomedical Education, St George’s University of London, London, UK
| | - Dimitrios Tsiptsios
- grid.12284.3d0000 0001 2170 8022Neurology Department, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Brendon Stubbs
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.37640.360000 0000 9439 0839South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London, UK
| | - Ruimin Ma
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Eugenia Romano
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Christoph Mueller
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.37640.360000 0000 9439 0839South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London, UK
| | - Ayesha Ahmad
- grid.264200.20000 0000 8546 682XInstitute of Medical and Biomedical Education, St George’s University of London, London, UK
| | - Andreas S. Triantafyllis
- grid.414012.20000 0004 0622 6596Department of Cardiology, Asklepeion General Hospital Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - George Tsitsas
- grid.15823.3d0000 0004 0622 2843Counselling Centre, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| | - Elena Dragioti
- grid.5640.70000 0001 2162 9922Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Pain and Rehabilitation Centre, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
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36
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Meuer M, Oeberst A, Imhoff R. How do conspiratorial explanations differ from non‐conspiratorial explanations? A content analysis of real‐world online articles. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marcel Meuer
- Department of Psychology University of Mainz Mainz Germany
- Department of Psychology University of Hagen Hagen Germany
| | - Aileen Oeberst
- Department of Psychology University of Hagen Hagen Germany
| | - Roland Imhoff
- Department of Psychology University of Mainz Mainz Germany
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Lim SL, Bentley PJ. Opinion amplification causes extreme polarization in social networks. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18131. [PMID: 36307510 PMCID: PMC9768163 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22856-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Extreme polarization of opinions fuels many of the problems facing our societies today, from issues on human rights to the environment. Social media provides the vehicle for these opinions and enables the spread of ideas faster than ever before. Previous computational models have suggested that significant external events can induce extreme polarization. We introduce the Social Opinion Amplification Model (SOAM) to investigate an alternative hypothesis: that opinion amplification can result in extreme polarization. SOAM models effects such as sensationalism, hype, or "fake news" as people express amplified versions of their actual opinions, motivated by the desire to gain a greater following. We show for the first time that this simple idea results in extreme polarization, especially when the degree of amplification is small. We further show that such extreme polarization can be prevented by two methods: preventing individuals from amplifying more than five times, or through consistent dissemination of balanced opinions to the population. It is natural to try and have the loudest voice in a crowd when we seek attention; this work suggests that instead of shouting to be heard and generating an uproar, it is better for all if we speak with moderation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Ling Lim
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter J. Bentley
- grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, UK ,Autodesk Research, London, UK
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38
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Terenzi D, Muth AK, Losecaat Vermeer A, Park SQ. Psychotic-like experiences in the lonely predict conspiratorial beliefs and are associated with the diet during COVID-19. Front Nutr 2022; 9:1006043. [DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1006043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the occurrence of conspiracy theories. It has been suggested that a greater endorsement of these theories may be associated with psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), as well as with social isolation. In this preregistered study, we investigated whether both PLEs and measures of social isolation (e.g., loneliness) can predict conspiratorial beliefs and, if so, which of these variables can mediate the association with conspiratorial beliefs. Furthermore, based on previous studies on schizophrenia, we explored whether the diet is associated with PLEs and conspiratorial beliefs. Participants (N = 142) completed online questionnaires measuring PLEs, social isolation, mental well-being, and conspiratorial beliefs. They also submitted their daily food intake for a week using a smartphone app. We found that loneliness predicted the endorsement of conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 lockdown. Strikingly, the proneness to experience subclinical psychotic symptoms played an underlying mediating role. In addition, these subclinical symptoms were associated with lower fruit, carbohydrate, and iron intakes, as well as with higher fat intake. Our results add insights into how conspiratorial beliefs can affect individuals’ mental health and relationships. Moreover, these results open the avenue for potential novel intervention strategies to optimize food intake in individuals with PLEs.
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Scandurra C, Pizzo R, Pinto LE, Cafasso C, Pellegrini R, Cafaggi F, D’Anna O, Muzii B, Bochicchio V, Maldonato NM. Emotion Dysregulation and Conspiracy Beliefs about COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Critical Social Media Use. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ 2022; 12:1559-1571. [PMID: 36286093 PMCID: PMC9601468 DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe12100109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
As COVID-19 has spread worldwide, conspiracy theories have proliferated rapidly on social media platforms, adversely affecting public health. For this reason, media literacy interventions have been highly recommended, although the impact of critical social media use on the development of COVID-19 conspiracy theories has not yet been empirically studied. Moreover, emotional dysregulation may play another crucial role in the development of such theories, as they are often associated with stress, anxiety, lack of control, and other negative emotions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that emotion dysregulation would be positively associated with conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 and that critical use of social media would attenuate this association. Data from 930 Italian participants (339 men and 591 women) were collected online during the third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. A moderated model was tested using the PROCESS Macro for SPSS. Results showed that: (1) emotion dysregulation and critical social media use accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19; and (2) critical social media use moderated the effect of emotion dysregulation on conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19. Implications for preventing the spread of conspiracy theories are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiano Scandurra
- Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Napoli, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-334-15-23-239
| | - Rosa Pizzo
- Intradepartmental Program of Clinical Psychology Federico II, University Hospital, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Luca Emanuel Pinto
- Intradepartmental Program of Clinical Psychology Federico II, University Hospital, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudia Cafasso
- Intradepartmental Program of Clinical Psychology Federico II, University Hospital, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Renata Pellegrini
- Intradepartmental Program of Clinical Psychology Federico II, University Hospital, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Federica Cafaggi
- Intradepartmental Program of Clinical Psychology Federico II, University Hospital, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Oriana D’Anna
- Intradepartmental Program of Clinical Psychology Federico II, University Hospital, 80131 Napoli, Italy
| | - Benedetta Muzii
- Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Naples Federico II, 80133 Napoli, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Bochicchio
- Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
| | - Nelson Mauro Maldonato
- Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Napoli, Italy
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Brandenstein N. Going beyond simplicity: Using machine learning to predict belief in conspiracy theories. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Zajenkowski M, Górniak J, Wojnarowski K, Sobol M, Jonason PK. I need some answers, now!: Present time perspective is associated with holding conspiracy beliefs. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Al-Qudah MA, Al-Shaikh AF, Hamouri S, Haddad H, AbuRashed S, Zureikat ZA. COVID-19-related conspiracy beliefs and their determinants among 18 to 45 years old: A cross-sectional study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022; 101:e30836. [PMID: 36197198 PMCID: PMC9508948 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000030836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The existence of conspiracy beliefs has been previously linked to multiple individual traits and factors, such as anxiety, lack of information, education, and social factors. This study aims to explore the factors and variables influencing the individual's susceptibility to conspiratorial thinking, as well as the impact of COVID-19 conspiracy belief on the adoption of public health and social measures. This study explores the factors influencing the susceptibility to conspiratorial thinking and the impact of conspiracy theories on the adoption of public health and social measures. A sample of university students, fresh-graduates, and mid-career professionals between the age of 18 to 45 years old completed an online survey measuring COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and stress levels. A total of 2417 completed a survey targeting COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, perceived stress, and demographic information. The results show that COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs were related to education, unemployment, and COVID-19 level of exposure. Meanwhile, conspiracy beliefs had no relation to the individual's perceived self-reported stress. Higher conspiracy scores were related to lower adoption of preventive measures and increased hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccination. Lack of knowledge and misinformation actions play a vital role in the generation of conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad A. Al-Qudah
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
- *Correspondence: Mohammad A. Al-Qudah, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan (e-mail: )
| | | | - Shadi Hamouri
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Surgery and Urology, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Husam Haddad
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan
| | - Samah AbuRashed
- Internship Doctor, King Abdullah University Hospital, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
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Stall LM, Petrocelli JV. Countering Conspiracy Theory Beliefs: Understanding the Conjunction Fallacy and Considering Disconfirming Evidence. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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44
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Partheymüller J, Kritzinger S, Plescia C. Misinformedness about the European Union and the Preference to Vote to Leave or Remain. JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES 2022; 60:1449-1469. [PMID: 36248058 PMCID: PMC9544071 DOI: 10.1111/jcms.13316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
European politicians have become increasingly concerned about the possible distorting effects of citizens not only being uninformed, but systematically misinformed about the European Union (EU). Against this background, this study assesses the role of EU knowledge in shaping the preference to vote to leave or remain in a (hypothetical) referendum on EU membership using cross-national survey data that were collected simultaneously in eight EU countries during the run-up to the 2019 EP elections. The surveys included a newly designed item battery of EU knowledge capturing both the accuracy as well as confidence in knowledge of the respondents. The results show that misinformedness is associated with a preference to leave the EU, the uninformed citizens tend to be undecided or not intending to vote, while the well-informed prefer to remain. Overall, our findings contribute to the ongoing debates about the role of misinformation in politics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Partheymüller
- Vienna Centre for Electoral ResearchUniversity of ViennaVienna
- Department of GovernmentUniversity of ViennaVienna
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45
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Wang H, van Prooijen J. Stolen Elections: How Conspiracy Beliefs During the 2020 American Presidential Elections Changed over Time. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Wang
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Netherlands
- The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR)
| | - Jan‐Willem van Prooijen
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Netherlands
- The Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR)
- Department of Criminal Law and Criminology Maastricht University
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46
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Furnham A, Robinson C, Grover S. Consensual ideas for prioritizing patients: correlates of preferences in the allocation of medical resources. ETHICS & BEHAVIOR 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/10508422.2022.2113081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Furnham
- Department of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour, Norwegian Business School (BI)
| | | | - Simmy Grover
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London
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47
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Rigoli F. Deconstructing the Conspiratorial Mind: the Computational Logic Behind Conspiracy Theories. REVIEW OF PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY 2022:1-18. [PMID: 36060095 PMCID: PMC9417594 DOI: 10.1007/s13164-022-00657-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In the social sciences, research on conspiracy theories is accumulating fast. To contribute to this research, here I introduce a computational model about the psychological processes underlying support for conspiracy theories. The proposal is that endorsement of these theories depends on three factors: prior beliefs, novel evidence, and expected consequences. Thanks to the latter, a conspiracy hypothesis might be selected because it is the costliest to reject even if it is not the best supported by evidence and by prior beliefs (i.e., even if it is not the most accurate). In this way, the model implies a key role for motivated reasoning. By examining the social conditions that favour the success of conspiracy theories, the paper embeds the model, whose focus is primarily psychological, within the broader social context, and applies this analysis to probe the role of conspiracy theories within contemporary Western societies. Altogether, the paper argues that a computational outlook can contribute to elucidate the socio-psychological dynamics underlying the attractiveness of conspiracy theories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Rigoli
- Department of Psychology, City, University of London, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB UK
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Kosarkova A, Malinakova K, Novak L, Van Dijk JP, Tavel P. Religious Conspiracy Theories About the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Associated With Negative Mental Health. Int J Public Health 2022; 67:1604324. [PMID: 36090829 PMCID: PMC9458861 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Together with the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theories have begun to spread. Evidence is lacking for religious conspiracy theories (RCT) related to COVID-19 in a non-religious environment. This study aimed to assess links between religiosity and spirituality (R/S) and RCT about COVID-19, and to examine their associations with mental health. Methods: A sample of Czech adults (n = 1,273, mean age = 47.5, SD = 16.4; 51.5% male) participated in the survey. We measured R/S, RCT, negative religious coping (NRC), feelings impairment and mental health symptoms. Results: We found R/S were significantly associated with RCT with β 0.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59–0.82) for the strongest association. Moreover, RCT and NRC were strongly associated with paranoia, anxiety and depression. The most frequent association was found for NRC and paranoid ideation, with β of 0.35 (95% CI 0.26–0.44). Conclusion: Our findings showed associations between religiosity/spirituality and beliefs in religious conspiracy theories about COVID-19. Moreover, these RCT and negative religious coping were linked to higher possibility of mental health problems. Understanding these associations may help prevent this negative impact and contribute to the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic help.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Kosarkova
- Olomouc University Social Health Institute (OUSHI), Olomouc, Czechia
- Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Alice Kosarkova,
| | - Klara Malinakova
- Olomouc University Social Health Institute (OUSHI), Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Lukas Novak
- Olomouc University Social Health Institute (OUSHI), Olomouc, Czechia
| | - Jitse P. Van Dijk
- Olomouc University Social Health Institute (OUSHI), Olomouc, Czechia
- Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
- School Kosice Institute for Society and Health, P.J. Safarik University in Kosice, Kosice, Slovakia
| | - Peter Tavel
- Olomouc University Social Health Institute (OUSHI), Olomouc, Czechia
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Nel KA, Govender S. Existential Positive Psychology (EPP): A Positive Tool for Healing Existential Anxieties in South Africa during, and after, the COVID-19 Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:10248. [PMID: 36011883 PMCID: PMC9408568 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191610248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Globally, humanity is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, we question our individual, and collective, behaviours. Long periods of lockdown and ever-escalating death rates have found people asking questions such as "What is the point of carrying on?" This is exacerbated by the world's burgeoning ecological crisis. Humanity is beginning to wonder if it belongs on the planet when its footprint has caused such rampant destruction to forests, oceans, the animal kingdom, and other ecological entities. Existential positive psychology (EPP) seeks to uncover truths about humankind's existence, survival, and, thus, meaning in life. We, as people, need to make sense of our reason for being as we struggle with our anxieties and seek to become authentic. This discussion paper contends that EPP can help humanity find the courage to challenge, and heal, its existential anxieties, namely, death, isolation, freedom, and meaningless, in order to find individual and group identities, as well as overall mental wellness (or happiness), specifically in a South African context, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The writings of Wong, who works within the framework of EPP, and those of Frankl, a holocaust survivor, whose work falls within the scope of humanistic and existential psychology and Asante's Afrocentrism, which is a philosophical framework grounded on the African continent, are used to support this argument.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Anne Nel
- School of Social Sciences, University of Limpopo, Polokwane 0727, South Africa
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50
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Oettingen G, Gollwitzer A, Jung J, Irmak Olcaysoy Okten. Misplaced certainty in the context of conspiracy theories. Curr Opin Psychol 2022; 46:101393. [PMID: 35810667 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We examine conspiracy beliefs in the context of misplaced certainty-certainty that is unsubstantiated by one's own or others' skepticism. A conspiracy theory held with misplaced certainty may entail, for instance, "knowing" or feeling certain that secret actors are plotting against society yet acknowledging that this claim lacks evidence or is opposed by most other people. Recent work on misplaced certainty suggests that misplaced certainty predicts and results in antisocial outcomes, including fanatical behavior in terms of aggression, determined ignorance, and adherence to extreme groups. Introducing the concept of misplaced certainty to theory and research on conspiracy theories may help identify when and why conspiracy theories lead to deleterious behavioral outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anton Gollwitzer
- Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour, BI Norwegian Business School, Oslo, Norway; Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Jiin Jung
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
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