The Elite Is Up to Something: Exploring the Relation Between Populism and Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Silva, Bruno Castanho; Vegetti, Federico; Littvay, Levente

doi:10.1111/spsr.12270

Cited by 233 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(68 reference statements)

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“…Conspiracy theories are populist by nature, as they express the view that elites are secretly implementing a plot against the people (Yablokov, 2015). In line with this, support for conspiracy theories is higher among voters of populist right parties (Castanho Silva, Vegetti, & Littvay, 2017). An inherent feature of populism is a black and white worldview, the understanding of politics as an eternal fight between Good and Evil, (e.g., Akkerman et al, 2014).…”

Section: Transition Round Table Talks and Conspiracy Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 90%

“The stolen transition” - Conspiracy theories in post-communist and post-democratic Hungary

Krekó

2020

Soc. Psychol. Bull.

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Similar to Poland, Hungary also experienced a peaceful transition from communism to democracy and market economy. The Hungarian Round Table Talks were organized in 1989, following the successful Polish model. While the Round Table Talks were similarly crucial in Hungary and in Poland in paving the way for institutional and political changes, and concluded in a very successful manner for the opposition parties, conspiracy theories similar to those seen in Poland (see Soral and Kofta in this issue) are proliferating in Hungary as well. The article argues that the rejection of the “compromises” around the transition is due to the very nature of populism: it likes black-and-white, Manichean logic. This article briefly introduces the process of the Round Table Talks and summarizes the literature’s findings on the general social psychological impacts of the transitions. Transitions always provide fertile ground for conspiracy theorizing as they are unexpected even with widespread consequences that fall beyond the control of most members of a society. But in Hungary, these conspiracy theories have been politically exploited in order to fuel discontent towards the democratic institutions - and in this way, they were instrumental in the “second transition”, the illiberal de-democratization after 2010.

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Section: Transition Round Table Talks and Conspiracy Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 90%

“The stolen transition” - Conspiracy theories in post-communist and post-democratic Hungary

Krekó

2020

Soc. Psychol. Bull.

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“…Climate change conspiracy theories-which typically assume that the problem of global warming is a hoax -decrease citizens' willingness to reduce their carbon footprints (Jolley & Douglas, 2014a; Study 2; see also Douglas & Sutton, 2015), as well as their prosocial behavior more generally (Van der Linden, 2015). Furthermore, conspiracy beliefs are empirically associated with populism (Silva, Vegetti, & Littvay, 2017) and political extremism (Van Prooijen, Krouwel, & Pollet, 2015). Also 'underground' extremist movements (e.g., groups of Neo-Nazis, violent anti-globalists, religious fundamentalists, and the like) are characterized by excessive conspiracy beliefs.…”

Section: Principle 1: Conspiracy Beliefs Are Consequentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Belief in conspiracy theories: Basic principles of an emerging research domain

Prooijen

Douglas

2018

Euro J Social Psych

317

243

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In this introduction to the EJSP Special Issue on conspiracy theories as a social psychological phenomenon, we describe how this emerging research domain has developed over the past decade and distill four basic principles that characterize belief in conspiracy theories. Specifically, conspiracy theories are consequential as they have a real impact on people's health, relationships, and safety; they are universal in that belief in them is widespread across times, cultures, and social settings; they are emotional given that negative emotions and not rational deliberations cause conspiracy beliefs; and they are social as conspiracy beliefs are closely associated with psychological motivations underlying intergroup conflict. We then discuss future research and possible policy interventions in this growing area of enquiry.

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“…The present paper focused on the GCBS because it has become a recognised, widely used measure of conspiratorial belief (e.g., [32]). Indeed, researchers have translated the GCBS into several languages (i.e., French, [33]; Macedonian, [34]; Persian, [35]; Japanese [36]).…”

Section: Measurement Of Conspiracy Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychometric assessment of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale

et al. 2020

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The Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS) is the most widely used measure of general belief in conspiracy theories. The scale comprises five related but distinct factors (Government Malfeasance, Extraterrestrial Cover-up, Malevolent Global Conspiracies, Personal Wellbeing, and Control of Information). Despite this, investigators have typically treated the GCBS as unidimensional by referencing only overall total. Although, the GCBS possesses established psychometric properties, critics question its factorial structure, suggest alternative models, and recommend routine examination of GCBS dimensions as part of analysis. Through two studies, the present paper assessed GCBS factorial structure, internal reliability, convergent validity, and invariance. This involved comparing the original five-factor solution with alternative one, two, and three-factor models. To ensure that the best fitting model was robust, the authors conducted analysis in two independent samples (Study one, N = 794, UK university-based sample; and Study two, N = 418, UK respondents collected via a market research company). Results in both studies indicated superior fit for the correlated five-factor solution. This solution demonstrated invariance across gender, and samples (Study one and two). Furthermore, the total scale and five subfactors evinced good alpha and omega total reliability. Convergent validity testing exhibited associations of an expected strength between conspiracist beliefs, reality testing, and cognitive insight. Large intercorrelations existed among GCBS subfactors, suggesting that the measure reflects a narrow set of interrelated conspiracist assumptions. These findings support the use of overall scale scores as an index of belief in conspiracy theories.

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The Elite Is Up to Something: Exploring the Relation Between Populism and Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Cited by 233 publications

References 46 publications

“The stolen transition” - Conspiracy theories in post-communist and post-democratic Hungary

“The stolen transition” - Conspiracy theories in post-communist and post-democratic Hungary

Belief in conspiracy theories: Basic principles of an emerging research domain

Psychometric assessment of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale

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