Conspiratorial thinking and foreign policy views: evidence from Central Europe

Abstract

Foreign policy analysts assume that conspiratorial thinking is linked to citizens' foreign policy views and in particular to a preference among citizens for an alignment with Russia rather than the West. Empirical studies on the relationship between conspiratorial thinking and citizens' foreign policy views are, however, lacking, despite a growing general academic interest in its origins and consequences. Our analysis breaks new ground by empirically evaluating the relationship between conspiratorial thinking and foreign policy preferences based on ISSP survey data for Slovakia. We find that conspiratorial thinking decreases the extent to which citizens prefer their country to be aligned with the West. The effect of conspiratorial thinking is substantively meaningful and on par with other predictors of foreign policy views.

Is this crisis different? Attitudes towards EU fiscal transfers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In this way, individuals are predisposed to see the world as the one where ‘authoritative accounts [are] fabricated and powerful actors [are] conspirators’ (Edelson et al, 2017: 936). In line with recent research, we argue that those who score high on conspiratorial thinking tend to attach conspiratorial explanations to political events, which in turn influences their political attitudes (see also Douglas et al, 2019 ; Onderco and Stoeckel, 2020 ).…”

Contemporary trends in psychological research on conspiracy beliefs. A systematic review

“…Seeing the world as governed by conspiracies increased the intentions to engage in illegal political actions (such as participation in illegal demonstrations or committing a violent attack) but attenuated the willingness to engage in legal forms of political participation (e.g., voting or joining a political party; Imhoff et al, 2021 ). Moreover, belief in conspiracy theories makes it possible to anticipate unconventional (but non-violent) participation ( Ardèvol-Abreu et al, 2020 ), justification of protest actions ( Chayinska and Minescu, 2018 ), support for leaving the EU ( Jolley et al, 2021 ), support for Brexit ( Swami et al, 2018 ), foreign policy views ( Onderco and Stoeckel, 2020 ), and Stealth Democracy beliefs ( Pantazi et al, 2021 ). CBs were also associated with self-reported voting behavior in the 2016 Italian constitutional referendum ( Mancosu et al, 2021 ) and voting behavior with regard to the election of Donald Trump ( Lamberty et al, 2018 ).…”

Truth Decay and National Security: Intersections, Insights, and Questions for Future Research

“…Truth Decay, conspiracy theories, and conspiratorial thinking within the politic or public of U.S. allies can affect U.S. national security. Limited academic evidence shows that conspiracy theories can shift public views on alliances-such as research that has shown a shift away from the West toward Russia in Slovakia (Onderco and Stoeckel, 2020). This indicates that Truth Decay in U.S. allies could serve as a blow to alliance strength.…”