What Drives Belief in Covid-19 Conspiracy Theories? Examining the Role of Uncertainty, Negative Emotions, and Perceived Relevance and Threat

Bibliographic Data

ID21617049
AuthorsTaeyoung Lee (0000-0002-1657-678X, The University of Texas at Austin, corresponding author), Gyo Hyun Koo (0000-0002-3188-4588, The University of Texas at Austin)
Year2023
Volume38
Issue14
Pages3091-3101
Publication date2023-12-06
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1041-0236 • E-ISSN: 1532-7027
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10410236.2022.2134703
PMID36224749
OpenAlexW4304806302
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited47

As conspiracy theories around COVID-19 pose a big global challenge to public health and well-being, this study seeks to identify how and when people are likely to activate conspiratorial thinking and believe in conspiracy theories about the coronavirus. Based on a U.S. national two-wave survey (W1: N = 1,119; W2: N = 543), this study found partial support for direct effects of uncertainty on conspiratorial thinking and support for indirect effects through threat perception. We also found some evidence of direct effects of uncertainty on conspiracy beliefs and indirect effects through threat perception and serially mediated through threat perception and negative emotions. Findings suggest that effects – either direct or indirect – of uncertainty on conspiratorial thinking/conspiracy beliefs are moderated by perceived relevance to COVID-19, personal experience of the disease, and social media use. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed

Disease · Perception · Political science · Risk perception · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy

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