COVID-19 Pandemic and Conspiracy Beliefs: Psychological Antecedents, Consequences, Possibilities for Correction
The coronavirus pandemic is accompanied by the active introduction of conspiracy theories into the mass consciousness, that is, concepts that explain the causes and extent of the pandemic by the action of certain groups of people. The article discusses three main questions: what factors provoke the appearance of conspiracy beliefs in people; how these beliefs affect behavior related to the coronavirus pandemic; how to counter conspiracy theories. A person’s acceptance of conspiracy beliefs related to COVID- 19 is facilitated by a variety of socio-demographic and psychological factors: gender, age, educational level, financial situation, current psychological state of a person; one’s stable individual psychological characteristics (personality traits, worldview beliefs, style of thinking, features of the cognitive sphere and attitudes); features of social identity. Conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 affect various behavioral responses associated with the pandemic: compliance with hygiene and social distancing norms, purchasing behavior, adherence to pseudoscientific practices for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus infection. The specificity of the influence of various types of conspiracy beliefs on people’s behavior associated with the pandemic was found. Some types of conspiracy beliefs are more likely to inhibit the implementation of prevention recommendations than others. This indicates that conspiracy beliefs should not be viewed as a whole, but in a differentiated way. The influence of conspiracy beliefs on following “anti-COVID” recommendations is mediated by intermediate variables such as a subjective assessment of the danger of COVID-19, trust in science, and a sense of helplessness. Two main strategies for countering conspiracy theories have been identified: preventive, implemented before the appearance of conspiracy information, and reactive, carried out after information about such theories appears in the media and social networks. Various options for implementing a preventive strategy are considered: limiting the dissemination of information about COVID-19 conspiracy theories, preventive refutation of such theories, and the formation of skills in people to detect inaccurate information. The factors of the effectiveness of the reactive countermeasure strategy are considered: the type of tactics for refuting the conspiracy theory, characteristics of the source of inaccurate information about the theory, the structure of the refuting message, the frequency of repetition of inaccurate information and the time elapsed between its appearance and refutation, the degree and direction of the recipient’s cognitive activity, their views and beliefs.
Keywords
conspiracy beliefs,
conspiracy theories,
COVID-19,
pandemic,
misinformation,
social distancingAuthors
| Myagkov Mikhail G. | Tomsk State University | myagkov@skoltech.ru |
| Kubrak Tina A. | Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences | kubrak.tina@gmail.com |
| Latynov Vladislav V. | Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences | vladlat5@lenta.ru |
| Mundrievskaya Yulia O. | Tomsk State University | muo@data.tsu.ru |
Всего: 4
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