Different Conspiracy Theories Have Different Psychological and Social Determinants: Comparison of Three Theories About the Origins of the COVID-19 Virus in a Representative Sample of the UK Population

Abstract

COVID-19 conspiracy theories have proliferated during the global pandemic, and their rapid spread among certain groups may jeopardize the public health response (e.g., undermining motivation to engage in social distancing and willingness to vaccinate against the virus). Using survey data from two waves of a nationally representative, longitudinal study of life in lockdown in the United Kingdom (N = 1,406), we analyze the factors associated with belief in three origin theories related to COVID-19, namely that it 1) originated in a meat market in Wuhan, China; 2) was developed in a lab in Wuhan, China; and 3) is caused by 5G mobile networks. Our findings suggest that political-psychological predispositions are strongly associated with belief in conspiracy theories about the virus, though the direction and effect sizes of these predictors vary depending on the specific content of each origin theory. For instance, belief in the Chinese lab conspiracy theory is strongly associated with right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and general conspiracy ideation, as well as less reliable news sources, distrust in scientists, and anxiety about the pandemic. Belief in the 5G network conspiracy theory is strongly associated with SDO, distrust in scientists, while less strongly with conspiracy ideation and information from social networks/media; RWA is strongly negatively associated with belief in the 5G conspiracy theory, with older and more wealthy individuals somewhat less likely to endorse it. The meat market origin theory is predicted by intolerance of uncertainty, ethnocentrism, COVID-19 anxiety, and less so by higher income, while distrust in scientists is negatively associated with this origin story. Finally, belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories is associated with negative public health behaviors such as unwillingness to social distance and vaccinate against the virus. Crucially, our findings suggest that the specific content of COVID-19 conspiracy theories likely determines which individuals may be most likely to endorse them.

To get vaccinated or not? Social psychological factors associated with vaccination intent for COVID-19

“…Consistent with previous research (Achimescu et al, 2020;Alper et al, 2020;Constantinou et al, 2020;De Coninck et al, 2021;Duplaga, 2020;Farias & Pilati, 2021;Georgiou et al, 2020;Hartman et al, 2020;Hornik et al, 2021;Kuhn et al, 2021;Pizarro et al, 2020;Romer & Jamieson, 2020;Sallam et al, 2021;van Mulukom et al, 2020;Zakharova et al, 2021), we found that sociostructural variables, such as age, educational level, political orientation, socioeconomic status, and gender are associated with conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 and beliefs about vaccine effectiveness. As van Prooijen (2017) suggests, they are probably part of a complex interplay of socio-structural factors rather than individual predictors.…”

Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: A systematic review

“…Experimentally manipulating threat salience of COVID-19 led to increased feelings of fear and anxiety, which in turn was associated with belief in conspiracy theories ( Jutzi et al, 2020 ), providing evidence for threat salience as an antecedent of later conspiracy belief. COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs have also been associated with greater anxiety more broadly ( Hartman et al, 2021 ; Kim and Kim, 2021 ; Radnitz and Hsiao, 2020 ; Sallam et al, 2020a , 2020b ; Šrol et al, 2021 , 2022 ). Similarly, risk perception, including both infection-related risks and consequence-related anxiety, was a consistent predictor of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs ( Kim and Kim, 2021 ; Pizarro et al, 2020 ).…”

“…This effect may be associated with lower levels of trust and higher levels of experienced threat in these individuals. Similarly, individuals with lower (vs. higher) income tend to hold stronger beliefs in COVID-19 conspiracy theories ( Constantinou et al, 2020 ; Hornik et al, 2021 ; Romer and Jamieson, 2020 ; Sallam et al, 2020a , 2020b ; van Mulukom, 2021 ), as do individuals with lower (vs. higher) levels of education ( Achimescu et al, 2021 ; Constantinou et al, 2020 ; De Coninck et al, 2021 ; Duplaga, 2020 ; Georgiou et al, 2020 ; Hartman et al, 2021 ; Hornik et al, 2021 ; Kuhn et al, 2021 ; Pizarro et al, 2020 ; Romer and Jamieson, 2020 ; Sallam et al, 2020b , 2021 ; van Mulukom, 2021 ), which may be associated with lower levels of information. Again, effects may vary according to the type of conspiracy theory.…”

Vax attacks: How conspiracy theory belief undermines vaccine support

“…Information, including misinformation and conspiracy theories, about vaccines plays a large role in shaping concerns related to vaccine hesitancy, 23 , 24 , 37 , 38 particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 For example, one content analysis of anti-vaccination websites found that conspiracy theories were present on every website analyzed, and that misinformation, such as the misrepresentation of vaccine studies, was extensive. 21 …”