Content matters. Different predictors and social consequences of general and government-related conspiracy theories on COVID-19.

ABSTRACT: In times of crisis, people are more prone to endorse conspiracy theories. Conspiracy thinking provides answers about the causes of an event, but it can also have harmful social consequences. Our research tested both the predictor and the consequences of two types of conspiracy beliefs related to the Covid-19 pandemic: (1) general conspiracy beliefs and (2) government-related conspiracy theories. In two studies in Poland (N_total = 2726), we found that a perceived lack of individual control predicted both types of conspiracy theories, while a sense of collective control was positively related to general conspiracy beliefs but negatively associated with government-related conspiracy theories. Moreover, general conspiracy theories were related to the acceptance of xenophobic policie

SUBMITTER: Oleksy T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7375289 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature