Engaging with conspiracy theories: Causes and consequences

Sassenberg, Kai; Bertin, Paul; Douglas, Karen M.; Hornsey, Matthew J.

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104425

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…This result suggests that conspiracy beliefs have the potential to influence beliefs about the vaccine’s effectiveness, but not vice versa. This is consistent with previous literature that has demonstrated a correlation between specific medical-related conspiracy beliefs and perceptions regarding vaccine effectiveness, particularly in the context of COVID-19 [ 20 , 22 , 85 ]. Studies have shown that endorsing specific vaccine conspiracy beliefs is correlated with a negative attitude toward vaccination, as reflected by lower intention to get vaccinated and lower vaccine uptake [ 33 , 40 , 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

From Conspiracy to Hesitancy: The Longitudinal Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Perceived Vaccine Effectiveness

et al. 2023

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The embrace of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine conspiracies has been linked to vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories and perceived vaccine effectiveness. The study utilized a longitudinal follow-up study in which adults in Chile completed surveys in December 2020 (T1) and May 2021 (T2). The psychometric properties of the five-item instrument on conspiracy theories for the COVID-19 vaccine were evaluated using data from T1 (n = 578). A confirmatory one-factor structure with suitable indicators of reliability was found. The longitudinal analysis (n = 292) revealed that conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine in T1 were associated with lower beliefs in its effectiveness in T2. However, no significant association was found between beliefs in effectiveness in T1 and conspiracy theories in T2. The study suggests that beliefs in conspiracy theories may temporally precede beliefs in vaccine effectiveness for COVID-19. The results have implications for strategies to address vaccine conspiracy beliefs and their implementation at the public policy level.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

From Conspiracy to Hesitancy: The Longitudinal Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Perceived Vaccine Effectiveness

et al. 2023

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“…Since new conspiracy theories emerge frequently and are thought to negatively affect individuals, relationships, and society, researchers have urged the scientific community to examine whether conspiracy beliefs can be reduced through interventions (Hornsey et al, 2022;Sassenberg et al, 2023). The present meta-analysis answers this call by demonstrating that, on average, interventions can somewhat reduce conspiracy beliefs (g = 0.16, CR 95% [0.12, 0.20]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Other research avenues include using both self-reports and other sources (e.g., significant others or internet activities) to evaluate intervention effects, investigating whether reducing conspiracy beliefs has an impact on the assumed consequences of conspiracy beliefs (Hornsey et al, 2022;Sassenberg et al, 2023;Toribio-Flórez et al, 2023), conducting interventions in samples with very high levels of conspiracy beliefs, and conducting studies with children or adolescents whose developing minds (Byrnes & Dunbar, 2014) might be especially vulnerable to conspiracist ideas (e.g., superficial critical thinking).…”

Section: Research Gaps and Future Research Avenuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effectiveness of interventions addressing conspiracy beliefs: a meta-analysis

Stasielowicz

2024

Preprint

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Since new implausible conspiracy theories emerge frequently and are thought to have detrimental effects on individuals and society (e.g., vaccine hesitancy, prejudice, and worse interpersonal relationships), developing effective interventions to reduce conspiracy beliefs is urgent. The present Bayesian three-level meta-analysis with 273 effect sizes from 56 independent samples (N = 27,996) provides the first comprehensive overview of factors affecting intervention effectiveness, including characteristics of samples, interventions, and conspiracy beliefs. The findings indicate that interventions tend to be moderately effective (g = 0.16, 95% CR [0.12, 0.20]). However, effect sizes exhibited substantial variability. By adopting evidence-based recommendations, such as tailoring intervention content to the outcome content and avoiding single-item measures of conspiracy beliefs, intervention effectiveness can be enhanced to g = 0.3 or higher. Furthermore, the identified research gaps, such as the scarcity of research on long-term effects, provide valuable insights for further improvements in this research area.

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“…First, there is growing evidence that a propensity to believe conspiracy theories is implicated in a wide range of problematic attitudes and behaviors associated with science and emerging technologies, and the size of these effects are too big to ignore. Second, despite a lot of academic energy focused on the question (Hornsey et al, 2023;Sassenberg et al, 2023), there is no existing intervention that has consistent and robust success in reducing the conspiracist mindset.…”

Section: The Future Of Research On Attitude Roots and Jiu Jitsu Persu...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psychology of Science Rejection

Rutjens,

Hornsey

2024

Preprint

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On the back of concerns that society is entering a post-truth, “anti-enlightenment” phase, the last decade has seen an explosion of research on the psychology of science rejection. Traditional understandings of this phenomenon have relied on so-called deficit models: that rejection of science is underpinned by lack of exposure to information or an inability to process scientific information. In this chapter we discuss two recent approaches that supplement this understanding: (1) the Attitude Roots model, which focuses on the role of ideologies, worldviews, identities and fears in shaping science beliefs, and (2) the Psychological Distance to Science model, which views science rejection as a downstream consequence of people perceiving science as detached from the self in the here and now. By building bridges across these approaches, we hope to pave the way for future research efforts aimed at uncovering a more complete understanding of the causes of science rejection across domains. This understanding is important for further theory development, and is a key ingredient for crafting strategies and interventions to defuse the myriad problems associated with science rejection.

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Engaging with conspiracy theories: Causes and consequences

Cited by 10 publications

References 43 publications

From Conspiracy to Hesitancy: The Longitudinal Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Perceived Vaccine Effectiveness

From Conspiracy to Hesitancy: The Longitudinal Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Theories on Perceived Vaccine Effectiveness

The effectiveness of interventions addressing conspiracy beliefs: a meta-analysis

The Psychology of Science Rejection

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