Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/30068
Title: Explaining Conspiracy Beliefs and Scepticism around the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Gemenis, Kostas 
Major Field of Science: Social Sciences
Field Category: Social and Economic Geography
Keywords: Conspiracy beliefs;COVID-19 pandemic;Political attitudes
Issue Date: Jun-2021
Source: Swiss Political Science Review, 2021, vol. 27, iss. 2, pp. 229 - 242
Volume: 27
Issue: 2
Start page: 229
End page: 242
Journal: Swiss Political Science Review 
Abstract: Public opinion on COVID-19 provides new empirical evidence for the debate on the ideological contours of conspiracy theories. I report findings from a web survey in Greece where participants were recruited via paid advertising on Facebook and the study sample was adjusted for age, gender, education, domicile, and region of residence using a nationally representative reference sample. I find that beliefs about conspiracy theories are more correlated than the values associated with established political ideologies, and that conspiracy beliefs and scepticism about the pandemic are best explained by belief in unrelated political and medical conspiracy theories. No other demographic or attitudinal variable has such a strong influence, and the results are robust to different statistical specifications. In comparison, the effect of ideology measured by left-right self-placement is rather negligible and further moderated by trust in government. The results have implications for the strategies aimed at fighting disinformation during public health emergencies.
URI: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14279/30068
ISSN: 14247755
DOI: 10.1111/spsr.12467
Rights: © The Authors
Type: Article
Affiliation : Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies 
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed
Appears in Collections:Άρθρα/Articles

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