Conspiracy Claims Research Articles

Antisemitism as Anti-Jewish Racism: Reflections on an Anti-Racist Analytic

Abstract Advancing a consistent anti-racist analytic to challenge antisemitism demands standing with all those who suffer from systemic racism, and specifically with Palestinians. However, antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism are rarely understood and opposed in a unified movement of solidarity. Here, we address what antisemitism is not, especially the false claim that equates antisemitism with criticism of the state of Israel – a claim that is reaching fever pitch at the current moment. Turning to context, we consider periodisations about how antisemitism has changed over time and place, suggesting we are in a new period of increasing supposed legitimacy for antisemitism in Western liberal-democratic capitalist states, associated with the rising influence of white nationalism. We then consider what antisemitism as anti-Jewish racism is, and how it is coded in certain ways, including: elite privilege; conspiracy claims; and symbolic marking for threats and violence. We conclude with notes on the potential for solidarity.

Populist Attitudes and Conspiracy Beliefs in Slovak Society: Pandemic vs Post-pandemic Data

The continued success of populist political subjects can be observed in many countries in recent years, including Slovakia. Society is polarized, and dissatisfaction, anger, and fear are coming to the fore. This has been exacerbated by the pandemic, which, as a crisis, typically increases the potential for the spread of unfounded or even conspiratorial beliefs. As the occurrence of the mentioned phenomena postulates similar questions, the study's objective is to identify the rate of occurrence of populist attitudes and trust in conspiracy content during and after the pandemic. At different stages of the pandemic course, the prevalence of populist attitudes in the sample of Slovak adult men and women (N = 1345) and the tendency to trust conspiracy beliefs both in general and specifically in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic are examined. Using the Populist Attitudes Scale, the Generic conspiracist beliefs scale, and the authors' questionnaire on belief in conspiracy claims related to the COVID-19 virus, we found a high prevalence of the variables of interest, with the highest rates observed in women, people of older age and people with lower education. Across the different phases of data collection, attitudes and beliefs were relatively stable, and a linear association was observed between them. The results demonstrate the validity of the study of populist attitudes and the tendency to believe in conspiracy content, while at the same time raising questions for further research.

Who to Trust? Christian Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Who to Trust? Christian Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy Theories and Human Trafficking: Coercive Power, Normative Ambiguity and Epistemic Uncertainty

ABSTRACT Conspiracy theories have become a prevalent feature of public discourse, with human trafficking featuring as a key component of contemporary populist conspiracy claims. This paper examines the impact of trafficking conspiracy theories and concludes that rather than challenging the accounts of relevant powerful actors, they reinforce the dominant narratives and institutions that shape anti-trafficking policies, and rather than democratizing knowledge, they undermine such efforts. I further argue that trafficking conspiracies are not simply symptomatic of normative and epistemic uncertainty, but actively elevate the coercive power of the state by undermining normative and epistemic sources of constraint. Ultimately, conspiracy theories on trafficking seek to control borders and police sexuality, to protect powerful actors from criticism, and to marginalize the voices of those most affected by trafficking and anti-trafficking initiatives. I conclude that countering conspiracy theories requires normative clarification in the realm of human trafficking and a commitment to inclusive, transparent, and firm epistemic foundations. The paper supports progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goal 5, by empowering women and girls – particularly marginalized women and girls – to contribute to public discourses on trafficking and Goal 16 by challenging discourses and institutions that contribute to unjust, violent and exclusive societies.

What is so special about conspiracy theories? Conceptually distinguishing beliefs in conspiracy theories from conspiracy beliefs in psychological research

In psychological research, conspiracy theories are often defined as explanations of events involving the hidden action of a malevolent group. Such a definition raises a false negative problem, as it does not capture conspiracy theories that are not about events. It also raises a false positive problem because it categorises any conspiracy-based explanation as a conspiracy theory, even though distinguishing conspiracy theories from other conspiracy claims is at the core of many attempts to define this notion. Based on more elaborated definitions and a conceptual reengineering approach, we propose that conspiracy theories can be defined as claims that the public is being pervasively lied to regarding some aspect(s) of reality, to allow some group(s) to enact a harmful, self-serving agenda. Compared to other definitions, ours has the advantage of not taking a position regarding the truth value of conspiracy theories, making it highly operative for psychological research.

Creating Conspiracy Beliefs: How Our Thoughts Are Shaped

Creating Conspiracy Beliefs: How Our Thoughts Are Shaped

The self-contradiction and double identities in understanding anthropomorphic Sino-figures in Chinese post-colonial animation criticism studies

Chinese post-colonial critics in the field of animation focus on the Chinese images in Hollywood films such as Kung Fu Panda and Mulan. However, their studies, based on the China–West binary discourse mode, show a tendency of self-separation. In particular, anthropomorphic characters in the two animated films are frequently endowed with contradictive cultural identities and interpretations within the post-colonial framework. To a large extent this self-separation is caused by the aesthetic features and conventions of animation. Due to the absence of real-person actors in animation, the racial identities of animation characters could be visually unrecognizable, which prevents post-colonial critics from employing the race that the actor/character belongs to. This lends weight to the Western conspiracy claims of ‘cultural colonization’ and reduces the validity of these studies.

ANTITRUST AND INEQUALITY

ANTITRUST AND INEQUALITY

The great replacement: Strategic mainstreaming of far-right conspiracy claims

This paper assesses how the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory (the idea that ethnically homogeneous populations in European nations are being ‘replaced’ by people of non-European origin) is articulated online by three different actors. By analyzing argument patterns and multimodal features of the cases, the paper shows that the conspiracy theory is a flexible political discourse that can be used strategically by both far-right and mainstream right-wing actors. It highlights the role of affect in online communication, and particularly how anti-immigration actors feed off circulating emotions such as insecurity and fear among the citizenry. The results show that processes of demographic change, caused by immigration, are negatively politicized through the use of pseudo-scientific sources, historic narratives of ethnic homogeneity, threat frames, visual fear appeals and other elements that constitute the wider conspiracy theory of an ongoing ‘replacement’ of native populations. The paper argues that the mainstreaming of conspiracy claims and theories related to immigration poses a threat, not only to democratic institutions and societies, but also to people of immigrant backgrounds.

Conspiracy claims and secret intentions as predictors of psychological coping and vaccine uptake during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign led to hesitancy, deferment and un-resolving resistance of certain groups or individuals worldwide. Reasons for these reactions include distrust in the COVID-19 vaccine that was developed rapidly, lack of trust in governing entities and unrealistic optimism (UO). Each of these reasons may involve claims of secret intentions or conspiracy theories. The present study examined the role of three different explanations for vaccine hesitancy and rejection, in predicting psychological coping, distress, and level of vaccine uptake, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Blaming the vaccine and its producers, blaming the state's authorities, and expressing criticism in UO terms, which may hint of some secret intention that underlies the vaccination request. The research was conducted on a sample of 2002 Israeli adults who responded to an anonymous questionnaire about vaccine hesitancy and psychological coping. We assumed that conspiracy theories aimed at the medical and the governing authorities, and the UO insinuations of covert intentions of these authorities, represent two different psychological processes. UO responses to adversity are aimed at reducing anxiety attributing covert intentions to the authorities and the pharmaceutical companies is an expression of anxiety. Three major hypotheses are examined. First, stronger criticism of the vaccine will be associated with a lower level of vaccination. Second, more extreme criticism of the political and the medical authorities for requesting vaccination, raised as a reason for vaccine hesitation will positively predict a higher level of anxiety and negatively predict the extent of good psychological coping. A stronger opposition to the vaccine in terms of UO will be positively associated with a greater scope of resilience and coping and will be negatively linked to indicators of distress. Results supported these hypotheses and enhanced the ongoing discussion on the contribution of UO to psychological adjustment, by illustrating its beneficial effects on this adjustment.Conspiracy Theories and Secret Intentions as Predictors of Psychological Coping and Vaccine Uptake throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic in Israel.

Solidarity through Cynicism? The Influence of Russian Conspiracy Narratives Abroad

Abstract As conspiracy theories have become a popular form of political discourse worldwide, states have promoted conspiratorial ideas to advance their foreign policy goals. Yet, despite recent attention to the spread of propaganda abroad, scholars have not addressed whether and how conspiracy theories spread across borders. This study assesses this question in the post-Soviet region, by examining the relationship between exposure to Russian state propaganda and belief in conspiracy theories in two countries that border the Russian Federation. Analyzing data from an original survey of Georgia and Kazakhstan indicates that exposure to Russian propaganda through television, social media, or websites has minimal effects on respondents’ endorsement of conspiracy theories. Respondents in Kazakhstan, and especially ethnic Russians, are likely to endorse pro-Russian conspiracy claims that are frequently propagated, owing to preexisting affinities. Yet the most consistent predictor of conspiracy beliefs is alienation from the political system, which occurs independent of foreign media consumption. The findings cast doubt on the ability of states to shape the attitudes of citizens abroad through the media and shine light on the domestic political factors underlying belief in conspiracy theories.

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Effects of Conspiracy Rhetoric on Views About the Consequences of Climate Change and Support for Direct Carbon Capture

ABSTRACT We implemented two survey-experiments to test the impact of conspiracy rhetoric on the views of US residents about the consequences of climate change and support for direct carbon capture. The first study focused on how receptive respondents were to a scientific report on the impacts of climate change when they were also presented with conspiracy-based criticism of the report’s conclusions. The second study explored how conspiracy rhetoric criticizing a report recommending the consideration of direct carbon capture influences support for the technology. We assess the effects of exposure to the conspiracy claims both in isolation and in contexts where scientific evidence contradicts the conspiratorial attack. We include a partisan source cue to test whether its presence enhances the impact of the messages on in-group partisans. The results accentuate the conditional nature of conspiracy rhetoric on views about the consequences of climate change and support for a novel climate geoengineering technology.

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

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

Social-Mediated Diffusion of Conspiracy Theories about COVID-19: A Study Integrating SMCC and TPB Models

ABSTRACT Two conspiracy theories that respectively attribute the origin of COVID-19 to a Chinese research institute and the US, were widely disseminated over China’s social media sphere in early 2020. By integrating the social-mediated crisis communication model with the theory of planned behavior, this study investigates predictors of public reactions to these conspiracy claims. The results of a cross-sectional survey discovered that message strategies and forms as well as user types and emotions can variously predict their believing in and diffusing conspiracy theories. Rational appeal and internet efficacy both predict diffusing the theory that attributes its origin to the US but have no effect on diffusing its counterpart. Moreover, family discussion has no effect on diffusing both two theories. These findings suggest that public reactions to coronavirus-related conspiracy theories should be examined in the contexts of not only social media applications but also China’s internet regulations, cultural values, and international relations.

Bringing the enemy closer to home: ‘conspiracy talk’ and the Norwegian far right

ABSTRACT What is the appeal of joining online communities obsessed with images of enemies and filled with threatening narratives? Døving and Emberland’s article introduces the term ‘conspiracy talk’ as a useful analytical concept for answering this question. The activities of radical and populist right-wing groups in Europe have increased in recent years; in particular, they use the Internet to propagate, discuss and enhance their ideological message. On Facebook and in comments on ‘alternative’ news sites, individuals share narratives about how an invasion of Muslims will lead to the imminent downfall of European civilization unless it is not rescued by the introduction of authoritarian, ethnic nationalism. The ideology of the far right is a growing field for research but there are few studies on how the ideology is spread and rendered meaningful via discussions and comments among Internet-based communities. This article, based on analyses of the content of various websites and Facebook pages that are part of the far-right landscape of Norway, seeks to explore the role conspiracy claims play in conversations taking place within these virtual communities. It attempts to identify patterns of communication and ways of talking that make conspiratorial notions seem reasonable. Døving and Emberland argue that radical-right and right-wing populist ideas are made relevant and gain a sense of immediacy through conspiracy talk. Conspiracy talk renders conspiracy narratives meaningful by linking them to the local contexts of the participants.

Correcting COVID-19 vaccine misinformation: Lancet Commission on COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics Task Force Members.

Correcting COVID-19 vaccine misinformation: Lancet Commission on COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics Task Force Members.

How threat perceptions relate to learning and conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19: Evidence from a panel study

According to appraisal theory, individuals cope with perceived threats in different ways. If engaging in problem-focused coping, for example, they may seek information useful for eliminating the root cause of the threat. However, during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, people tend to navigate complex information environments marked by high levels of uncertainty. In such contexts, individuals may adopt maladaptive behaviours—for instance, avoiding information or switching to pseudo-epistemic coping—in which they engage with non-scientific explanations. As a consequence, they may learn less from their information environment and become susceptible to conspiracy theories. Against that background, we investigated how threat perceptions relate to learning, believing in conspiracy claims and conspiracy thinking in context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from two-wave panel data, we found that threat perceptions were associated with a decrease in knowledge and an increase in believing conspiracy claims. Taken together, our findings indicate that high levels of threat perceptions in uncertain information environments may impede societal learning and encourage conspiracy beliefs. Thus, although provoking general anxiety may support short-term political goals, including adherence to policy during crises, accumulated threat perceptions may adversely affect citizens' motivation to cooperate in the long term.

Evaluating conspiracy claims as public sphere communication

ABSTRACT Conspiracy theories have become a ubiquitous feature of contemporary culture. From a communication studies perspective, conspiracy theories undermine democratic communication by misleading the public. However, the normative concept of a democratic public sphere also upholds the values of giving visibility to diverse perspectives and facilitating reasoned debate. Thus, academics can acknowledge the harms of conspiracy claims while being open, in principle, to their potential contribution to public debate. The challenge, of course, is to evaluate the public sphere implications of conspiracy claims; implications that may be difficult to ascertain and may change over time as new evidence emerges. This position is elucidated through an analysis of the conspiracy claims found in mainstream and alternative media coverage of the Syrian conflict. Much of the debate centres on ideas about the trustworthiness and impartiality of journalists and experts whereby efforts to establish the facts are superseded by received ideas about the credibility of sources. Ultimately, the Syrian conflict indicates that conspiracy claims can be valuable for the public sphere provided there are impartial actors willing to investigate conspiracy claims and provide clarification to the public.

2020 Antitrust Annual Report: Class Action Filings in Federal Court

The 2020 Private Antitrust Enforcement Report provides various empirical analyses of antitrust class actions litigated in federal court from 2009 through 2020. It addresses various topics, including the number of antitrust class action complaints filed each year, the amount of time on average to reach a settlement, the mean and median recoveries, the attorneys' fees and costs awarded, the total settlement amounts in each year and overall, the law firms that represented plaintiffs and defendants in antitrust class action settlements, and the cumulative totals for claims administrators involved in the settlement process. The Report also distinguishing private antitrust enforcement by particular industries, by type of claim—conspiracy claims (under Section 1 of the Sherman Act) as opposed to claims based on unilateral conduct (Section 2 of the Sherman Act)—and by type of plaintiff—whether claims were brought on behalf of direct or indirect purchasers. The plan is to provide similar information on an annual basis. We hope that these reports will prove of interest to the academy and the public and private sectors, and that the data they analyze will offer a firmer empirical basis than would otherwise be possible for private decisions and for public policy discussions, as well as for actions related to enforcement of the antitrust laws through private class actions.