Who believes the novel coronavirus conspiracy theories?

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Published: Jun 23, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/grsr.23523
Keywords:
Conspiracy beliefs COVID-19 misinformation social media
Kostas Gemenis
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3973-5675
Abstract

The article presents some preliminary findings from a survey on conspiracy beliefs among social media users in Greece. The participants were invited to complete a web survey via announcements and advertisements on social media, and the data were weighted using a reference sample from a nationally representative telephone survey. The results show that the foremost explanatory factor of conspiracy beliefs about the novel coronavirus is the acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about entirely different topics (e.g. the Greek financial crisis). The results point to the deep psychological roots of conspiracy beliefs with important implications for the design of policies in the battle against misinformation.

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Author Biography
Kostas Gemenis, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
Senior Researcher, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
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