Search results for "Conspiracy theory"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Too special to be duped: Need for uniqueness motivates conspiracy beliefs
2017
Adding to the growing literature on the antecedents of conspiracy beliefs, this paper argues that a small part in motivating the endorsement of such seemingly irrational beliefs is the desire to stick out from the crowd, the need for uniqueness. Across three studies, we establish a modest but robust association between the self-attributed need for uniqueness and a general conspirational mindset (conspiracy mentality) as well as the endorsement of specific conspiracy beliefs. Following up on previous findings that people high in need for uniqueness resist majority and yield to minority influence, Study 3 experimentally shows that a fictitious conspiracy theory received more support by people…
Does the platform matter? Social media and COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs in 17 countries
2021
While the role of social media in the spread of conspiracy theories has received much attention, a key deficit in previous research is the lack of distinction between different types of platforms. This study places the role of social media affordances in facilitating the spread of conspiracy beliefs at the center of its enquiry. We examine the relationship between platform use and conspiracy theory beliefs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Relying on the concept of technological affordances, we theorize that variation across key features make some platforms more fertile places for conspiracy beliefs than others. Using data from a crossnational dataset based on a two-wave online survey cond…
A Uniform Conspiracy Mindset or Differentiated Reactions to Specific Conspiracy Beliefs? Evidence From Latent Profile Analyses
2021
Conspiracy theories arise for virtually any public event (e.g., pandemics, assassinations, disasters). In light of positively correlated endorsements of such beliefs, many have pointed to a more general mindset behind this. Others have argued against this notion of a consistent mindset. Applying Latent Profile Analyses, we examine the evidence for either uniform or differentiated response patterns to various items in five studies (reanalyzed datasets, total N = 7877). Overall, the results speak strongly to uniform reactions that could be summarized as a general mindset, but also revealed important qualifications. First, small parts of the samples show more differentiated patterns in relatio…
COVID-19 Related Conspiracy Beliefs and Their Relationship with Perceived Stress and Trust in Government
2021
Sazvērestības ticīgo vilnis ir izcēlies COVID-19 krīzes vidū. Šī pētījuma mērķis bija pārbaudīt individuālās atšķirības, kas saistītas ar COVID-19 konspirācijas teoriju uzskatu attīstību pandēmijas laikā. Kopumā 100 pieaugušie aizpildīja aptauju, kas aptvēra ar COVID-19 saistītus sazvērestības teorijas uzskatus, uztverto stresu un ticību valdībai , kā arī respondentu izglītības līmeni. Dati tika savākti kā tiešsaistes aptauja randomizētā izlasē. Tika izmantota tulkotā un adaptēta aptauja par COVID-19 konspirācijas teorijām, kas bija cirkulējuši medijos un sociālajos tīklos 2020. gada beigās un 2021. gada sākumā un ir zināmas Latvijas vispārējai populācijai. Tika izmantoti parametriski testi…