Belief in Covid‐19 Conspiracy Theories Reduces Social Distancing over Time
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23346643 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kinga Bierwiaczonek (0000-0002-2251-5633, University of Oslo, corresponding author), Jonas R Kunst (0000-0002-5319-1256, University of Oslo), Olivia Pich (University of Oslo) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1270-1285 |
| Publication date | 2020-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1758-0846 • E-ISSN: 1758-0854 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/aphw.12223 |
| PMID | 32864837 |
| OpenAlex | W3081824734 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 82 |
| References cited | 30 |
BACKGROUND: Conspiracy theories about the origins of COVID-19 are widespread and have even been propagated by highly ranked state officials and politicians in the US. Health authorities have cautioned that such theories, although not questioning the existence of the pandemic, may increase the spread of the virus by reducing people's efforts to socially distance. METHODS: We test this proposition empirically using longitudinal survey data collected at five timepoints during the early outbreak of the virus in the US (N = 403). RESULTS: Multivariate growth curve analyses showed that, although conspiracy beliefs decreased and social distancing increased over time, people holding more conspiracy beliefs at the beginning of the pandemic showed the lowest increase in social distancing. Moreover, cross-lagged analyses demonstrated that people who reported more conspiracy beliefs at any wave tended to report less social distancing at the following wave. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that COVID-19 conspiracy theories pose a significant threat to public health as they may reduce adherence to social distancing measures.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Distancing · Pandemic · Proposition · Public health · Social distance · Sociology · Test (biology) · Media Influence and Politics · Medicine · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Psychology · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
The spread of conspiracy theories and distrust in the healthcare system
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Conspiracy Beliefs and Acceptance of Covid-Vaccine
Novel strategies to support global promotion of Covid-19 vaccination
Do Survey Questions Spread Conspiracy Beliefs
Trust in information sources as a moderator of the impact of Covid-19 anxiety and exposure to information on conspiracy thinking and misinformation beliefs
Pandemic experiences and psychopathological aspects in individuals with mood disorders and other mental disorders
Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Psychosocial Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic among Health-Science Students of Lithuania–A National Cross-Sectional Online Survey
Religious Fundamentalism, Delusions, and Conspiracy Beliefs Related to the Covid-19 Pandemic
Ideological Tendencies in the Six English Qur’an Translation on Qs. Ar-Rum 41
From Democratic Resistance to Hostility against a “Covid-Regime” – Conspiracy Theories as Cross-Milieu Catalysts of Radicalization
Association of Covid-19 Misinformation with Face Mask Wearing and Social Distancing in a Nationally Representative US Sample
Incidental news exposure and Covid-19 misperceptions
Dynamic relationships between different types of conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and protective behaviour
Are we facing a “causality crisis” in acculturation research? The need for a methodological (r)evolution
Conspiracy as a Defense
Tearing apart the “evil” twins
Socially-Oriented Persuasive Game to Promote Disease Awareness and Prevention
Acceptance and Adherence to Covid-19 Preventive Measures are Shaped Predominantly by Conspiracy Beliefs, Mistrust in Science and Fear – A Comparison of More than 20 Psychological Variables
Public Policy Measures to Increase Anti-Sars-CoV-2 Vaccination Rate in Russia
The Paradox of Conspiracy Theory
Public Compliance Matters in Evidence-Based Public Health Policy
Risk-Perception Change Associated with Covid-19 Vaccine’s Side Effects
Nobody Knows Better
The role of personality traits and online behavior in belief in fake news
Association of personality traits and socio-environmental factors with Covid-19 pandemic-related conspiratorial thinking in the D-A-CH region
Examining conspiracy theory spillover in the health communication arena
Trust in Science, Perceived Media Exaggeration About Covid-19, and Social Distancing Behavior
Spatiotemporal variations of public opinion on social distancing in the Netherlands
A Dynamic Analysis of Conspiratorial Narratives on Twitter During the Pandemic
Balancing the Freedom–Security Trade-Off During Crises and Disasters
The relationship between populism and attitudes on vaccine against Covid‐19
Examining the relationship between conspiracy theories and Covid‐19 vaccine hesitancy
Post-Traumatic Growth and Stress-Related Responses During the Covid-19 Pandemic in a National Representative Sample
Do you trust the rumors? Examining the determinants of health‐related misinformation in India
Both a bioweapon and a hoax
Conspiracy beliefs predicting health behaviors
Social media skepticism and belief in conspiracy theories about Covid-19
Beliefs in Covid-19 conspiracy theories, compliance with the preventive measures, and trust in government medical officials
Scientific reasoning is associated with rejection of unfounded health beliefs and adherence to evidence-based regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic
Conspiracy Theory
Psycholinguistic Markers of Covid-19 Conspiracy Tweets and Predictors of Tweet Dissemination
Can reflection mitigate Covid-19 vaccine conspiracy beliefs and hesitancy
Sense of safety and opinions about Covid-19 vaccinations in Polish school teachers
Do media objectivity and frequency of informing mediate the relationship between traditionalist social attitudes and Covid-19 conspiracy beliefs
The conspiracy hoax? Testing key hypotheses about the correlates of generic beliefs in conspiracy theories during the Covid ‐19 pandemic
Employee flourishing and moral obligation in extreme conditions
Do Conspiracy Theories Shape or Rationalize Vaccination Hesitancy Over Time
Think About It! Deliberation Reduces the Negative Relation Between Conspiracy Belief and Adherence to Prosocial Norms
Combatting conspiracy theories (also via humour)
Role Adoption and Decision Making
Misinformation and the Paradox of Trust during the covid-19 pandemic in the U.S
The role of motivated science reception and numeracy in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic
Injecting fun? Humour, conspiracy theory and (anti)vaccination discourse in popular media
From Bad to Worse
Conspiracy beliefs and attitudes toward Covid-19 vaccinations
Covid-19 conspiracy theories and compliance with governmental restrictions
Rational thinking style, rejection of coronavirus (Covid-19) conspiracy theories/theorists, and compliance with mandated requirements
Preventive measures as a mediating factor between belief in conspiracy theories and vaccination hesitancy among Romanian students
Conspiracy Theories and Their Societal Effects During the Covid-19 Pandemic
From believers to skeptics
Bayesian Growth Curve Modeling with Measurement Error in Time
Left Out—Feelings of Social Exclusion Incite Individuals with High Conspiracy Mentality to Reject Complex Scientific Messages
L’adhésion à la pensée conspirationniste dans le contexte de la pandémie de Covid‐19 au Québec
Pushing too far? Negotiations of non‐compliance and resistance to the Covid‐19 cabin ban in Norway
Economic insecurity and compliance with the Covid‐19 restrictions
Fighting fire with fire
Engaging with conspiracy theories
Does deliberation decrease belief in conspiracies
Making an impression
Are rules made to be broken? Conspiracy exposure promotes aggressive behavior
American Attitudes Toward Covid-19
Third person perceptions about the ability to detect fake news
The Plot Thickens
Online Conspiracy Groups
How belief in conspiracy theories could harm sustainability
When reality knocks on the door. The effect of conspiracy beliefs on Covid-19 vaccine acceptance and the moderating role of experience with the virus
Reducing respondents' perceptions of bias in survey research
Keep your distance
How perceived coercion polarizes unvaccinated people
Vaccine Hesitancy Counter Memes
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally — The U.S. Response to Covid-19
Mediation Models for Longitudinal Data in Developmental Research
Authoritarianism and National Identity
Interpretation and identification of causal mediation.
Beyond the Cross-Lagged Panel Model
A critique of the cross-lagged panel model.
Latent Curve Models
Low self-esteem predicts out-group derogation via collective narcissism, but this relationship is obscured by in-group satisfaction
Causal Analysis with Panel Data
A Bioweapon or a Hoax? The Link Between Distinct Conspiracy Beliefs About the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) Outbreak and Pandemic Behavior
Belief in conspiracy theories
Political paranoia v. political realism
Conspiracy Beliefs About HIV/Aids and Birth Control Among African Americans
Using social and behavioural science to support Covid-19 pandemic response
Looking for resilience
Trust in Authorities and Power to Enforce Tax Compliance
Conspiracy theories as part of history
The social consequences of conspiracism
| Unique citing works | 82 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 16,4 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 66 |