Psychological, Political, and Situational Factors Combine to Boost COVID-19 Conspiracy Theory Beliefs

Joanne M Miller

doi:10.1017/s000842392000058x

Abstract

Conspiracy theories (CTs) are not solely the domain of extremists and paranoids. They cut across demographic and political differences (Uscinski and Parent, 2014) and can have negative social/political consequences. For example, Imhoff and Lamberty (2020) find that belief that the seriousness of COVID-19 is being exaggerated is negatively correlated with self-reported preventative behaviours such as hand washing and social distancing, and belief that the virus was intentionally created by humans is positively correlated with self-reported hoarding of food, sanitary products, and gasoline/oil, as well as stocking up on weapons.

Highlights

Scholars have identified psychological, political, and situational factors that contribute to the likelihood that someone will endorse a Conspiracy theories (CTs)
Because the current political context is one in which a Republican president is being widely criticized for his handling of the pandemic, Republicans are more likely to believe COVID-19 CTs than Democrats or Independents (Uscinski et al, 2020)
Across the 11 individual CTs, the psychological predisposition to view the world in conspiratorial terms is a consistent, positive predictor of the individual CTs

Summary

Introduction

Political, and situational factors that contribute to the likelihood that someone will endorse a CT. Uscinski et al (2020) find that conspiratorial thinking is positively related to the endorsement of two COVID-19 CTs. because the current political context is one in which a Republican president is being widely criticized for his handling of the pandemic (threatening the political worldviews of those on the right), Republicans are more likely to believe COVID-19 CTs than Democrats or Independents (Uscinski et al, 2020). Personal uncertainty (likely induced by the pandemic) is positively related to COVID-19 CT beliefs (Miller, 2020). The current research demonstrates – for the first time – how these psychological, political, and situational factors interact with one another to amplify CT beliefs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Methods

Results

Conclusion