Who do we trust? Differences in types of trust and beliefs in conspiracy theories between vaccinated and unvaccinated Europeans across 17 European countries

A plethora of research has highlighted that trust in science, political trust, and conspiracy theories are all important contributors to vaccine uptake behavior. In the current investigation, relying on data from 17 countries (N = 30,096) from the European Social Survey we examined how those who received (and wanted to receive the COVID-19 vaccine) compared to those who did not differ in their trust in: science, politicians and political parties, international organizations and towards people in general. We also examined whether they differed in how much they believed in conspiracy theories. Those who received (or wanted to receive) the COVID vaccine scored significantly higher in all forms of trust, and lower in conspiracy theory beliefs. A logistic regression suggested that trust in science, politicians, international organizations, as well as belief in conspiracy theories were significant predictors, even after accounting for key demographic characteristics.

Fake News and the Illusion of Truth: The Influence of Media on German Political Discourse in the Wake of COVID-19

This paper explores the phenomenon of fake news and conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany with special focus on the emergence of the Querdenker movement. Through a post-structuralist lens complemented by the work of Michel Foucault, the concept of truth will be analyzed to understand its role in society and democratic discourse as well as how the production of knowledge and truth has changed with emergence of the internet and social media. In this context it becomes apparent how fake news can be threatening to political discourse by undermining basic scientific information necessary for effective decision-making processes. Insights of this analysis will then be used to develop legal propositions to tackle the problem of fake news without interfering too much with the determination of truth and public discourse. © 2022, Onati International Institute for the Sociology of Law. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 conspiracy rhetoric and other primal fantasies

Planet Lockdown, a documentary film, claims that the COVID-19 pandemic was manufactured by finance capitalists, Silicon Valley, and the pharmaceutical industry to microchip the population, consolidate global wealth, and enslave the population. Viral videos from the film have received tens of millions of engagements throughout social networks and media, constituting a major source of COVID-19 disinformation. This article argues that COVID-19 enslavement fantasies consummate white conservative fears of racial displacement, brought on by an impending demographic shift and greater visibility of antiracist activism throughout the early stages of the pandemic. I argue that Planet Lockdown's preoccupation with so-called "modern slavery" restages a national primal scene to resecure white power as perceptions of its dominance wanes: a fantasy of the origins of the liberal subject that omits that subject's relationship to slavery and anti-Blackness. By imagining slavery as a future threat to white selfhood rather than the structural organization of a society underwritten by anti-Blackness, COVID-19 conspiracy rhetoric facilitates a disavowal of the structural legacy of white supremacy. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Quarterly Journal of Speech is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Are You with Us or Against Us?

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, two contrasting images quickly became repre-sentative of the crisis. On the one hand, there were heroic doctors working day and night with the novel virus, risking their lives and making sacrifices to save others. On the other, there were 'anti-maskers' and 'anti-vaxxers': people doubting if the virus is real, questioning the ef-fectiveness of protective measures, suspicious that the crisis is nothing more than an elaborate plot, a scam aimed to redesign their world and to destroy the values they hold dear. Reflecting on research conducted in Ireland with people separated by the conspiratorial divide, this pa-per examines some methodological and analytical challenges of doing simultaneous research with opposing stakeholders. Analysing my own entanglements in the conflicts over vaccines and conspiracy theories in this paper I argue that the pandemic was not just a battle to secure the acceptability of specific medical technology (the COVID-19 vaccine) but was also about safeguarding respectability of science and maintaining the rule of experts. It was about pre-venting ontological turn, the end of the era of reason, a dawn of modernity.

Disinformation in the age of the Covid-19 pandemic: How does belief in fake news and conspiracy theories affect canadians' reactions to the crisis?

This chapter examines the concepts of mistrust, news habits, and attitudes toward social and health measures associated with Covid-19 crisis. The aim is to assess how beliefs in fake news and conspiracy theories impact the reaction of the Canadian population to the coronavirus pandemic. The analyses presented in this chapter aim to answer specific research questions who want (1) to investigate to what extent the pandemic-related conspiracy theories and fake news permeated the beliefs of Canadians;(2) to find the socio-demographic characteristics of the Canadian who subscribes to pandemic-related conspiracy theories and fake news;(3) to bring out the types of information sources used by the Canadians who subscribes to pandemic-related conspiracy theories and fake news;and (4) to reveal the social attitudes of the Canadian who subscribes to pandemic-related conspiracy theories and fake news. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reserved.

Conspiracy as ARG: media and game essence of QAnon

The results of a comparative analysis of the functional features of the QAnon theory and the conceptual signs of ARG (games in alternative reality) are displayed. The signs of ARG are designated and given as elements of the reference game model, the basis for comparison. The authors found that the QAnon conspiracy theory, the history of its emergence and development features is of a synthetic nature: ARG elements are present in modified form. They transform the roles of developers and participants. The QAnon quest structure was visualized, the gameplay based on experiencing the state of apophenia – a painful search for a connection between random phenomena or events – was described. The similarities of QAnon with religion and at the same time political ideology based on the mechanics of the game were identified, which explains its popularity. The relevance of the topic is due to the steady growth in the number of conspiracy theories and their followers since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic against the backdrop of audience distrust in the media. The authors demonstrate how QAnon, not being essentially a game in an alternative reality, but using game technologies and eschatological narratives about the Great Tribulation and Judgment Day, achieves high efficiency in shaping public opinion. © 2023, RUDN University. All rights reserved.

A puzzle of epistemic paternalism

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and fake news about the virus have abounded, drastically affecting global health measures to oppose it. In response, different strategies have been proposed to combat such Covid-19 collective irrationalities. One suggested approach has been that of epistemic paternalism – non-consultative interference in agents' inquiries for their epistemic improvement. While extant literature on epistemic paternalism has mainly discussed whether it is (ever) justified, in this paper, I primarily focus on the potential implementation of widespread epistemically paternalistic policies (such as no-platforming and censorship) and its consequences. I argue that pursuing epistemic paternalism to combat Covid-19 collective irrationalities leads to a hitherto unnoticed puzzle for proponents of epistemic paternalism. Central to the puzzle is the idea those (governments, corporations, social media giants) who actually can (i.e., have the requisite power to) enact widespread epistemically paternalistic policies seem the institutions who are least suited to having such informational control over the populace. Thus, epistemic paternalism appears a sword without a hilt;while it may prove an effective strategy in tackling Covid-19 collective irrationalities, we do not have any way to use it without incurring serious risks.

Retrospective Analysis of the Psychological Predictors of Public Health Support in Bulgarians at the Beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The earliest critical context of the pandemic, preceding the first real epidemiological wave of contagion in Bulgaria, was examined using a socio-affective perspective. A retrospective and agnostic analytical approach was adopted. Our goal was to identify traits and trends that explain public health support (PHS) of Bulgarians during the first two months of the declared state of emergency. We investigated a set of variables with a unified method within an international scientific network named the International Collaboration on Social & Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (ICSMP) in April and May 2020. A total of 733 Bulgarians participated in the study (67.3% females), with an average age of 31.8 years (SD = 11.66). Conspiracy Theories Beliefs were a significant predictor of lower PHS. Psychological Well-Being was significantly associated with Physical Contact and Anti-Corona Policy Support. Physical Contact was significantly predicted by fewer Conspiracy Theories Beliefs, higher Collective Narcissism, Open-mindedness, higher Trait Self-Control, Moral Identity, Risk Perception and Psychological Well-Being. Physical Hygiene compliance was predicted by fewer Conspiracy Theories Beliefs, Collective Narcissism, Morality-as-Cooperation, Moral Identity and Psychological Well-Being. The results revealed two polar trends of support and non-support of public health policies. The contribution of this study is in providing evidence for the affective polarization and phenomenology of (non)precarity during the outbreak of the pandemic.

Contemporary conspirituality: centering gender in the field of conspiracy theory research

This article calls for a further exploration of how gender is linked to conspiracy theory through discussing the phenomenon of conspirituality, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conspirituality, the blending of New Age spiritual themes with conspiratorial thinking, has accelerated in recent years, leading to unexpected developments. Exploring this ideological convergence further highlights the central role of gender in conspiracy theorization. Gender has often been viewed as either one of several factors determining or dissuading conspiracy belief, or as a thematic anxiety that underpins particular conspiratorial expressions. Conspirituality, which has flourished in online spaces such as Instagram and has embraced highly gendered aesthetics, brings these threads together;it highlights the centrality of lived experiences of gender to a number of important questions in conspiracy theory research. These include the importance of online spaces as sites of conspiratorial discourse, how disenchantment and secularism are gendered experiences, and how conspiracy theories both reflect and comment on power dynamics and hierarchies.

Different platforms, different plots? The Kremlin-controlled search engine Yandex as a resource for Russia's informational influence in Belarus during the COVID-19 pandemic

Extant research demonstrated that the algorithms of the Kremlin-controlled search engine Yandex, compared to those of its US-based counterpart Google, frequently produce results that are biased toward the interests of Russia's ruling elites. Prior research, however, audited Yandex's algorithms largely within Russia. In contrast, this study is the first to assess the role of Yandex's web search algorithms as a resource for Russia's informational influence abroad. To do so, we conduct a comparative algorithm audit of Google and Yandex in Belarus, examining the visibility and narratives of COVID-19-related conspiracy theories in their search results. By manually analysing the content of 1320 search results collected in mid-April to mid-May 2020, we find that, compared with Google, (1) Yandex retrieves significantly more conspiratorial content (2) that close to exclusively suspects US plotters to be behind the pandemic, even though the virus spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan across the globe.

Simple solutions to wicked problems: Cultivating true believers of anti-vaccine conspiracies during the COVID-19 pandemic

The pandemic has produced an abundance of medical misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Many of these narratives appear impervious to scientific evidence and indifferent to the authority of the state. This has resulted in ‘true believers' being cast as paranoid and irrational. In this article, we take a different approach by exploring the cultural appeal of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories about COVID-19. Drawing on qualitative analysis of two leading figures of the anti-vaccination movement – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Joseph Mercola – we demonstrate how these influencers establish authority by staging indignation against a corrupt scientific establishment and positioning themselves as Truthers offering simple solutions to complex (wicked) problems. By conceptualising what we refer to as the Truther Playbook, we examine how anti-vaccine Truthers capitalise on existing grievances and conditions of low institutional trust to further solidify people's troubled relationship with institutional expertise while drawing attention to the structural conditions and social inequalities that facilitate belief in conspiracy theories. We contend that conspiracy theories offer not only offer alternative facts and narratives but are predicated on identification and in-group membership, highlighting the limits of debunking as a strategy to tackle disinformation. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of European Journal of Cultural Studies is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Does communist nostalgia lead to COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs?

Why are people in Central and Eastern Europe more hesitant towards COVID-19 vaccination and more prone to believe in COVID-19 related conspiracy theories than other Europeans? The article claims that the spread of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in the post-communist region might be fostered by communist nostalgia. Drawing on the survey data from Lithuania, I show that communist nostalgia is one of the best predictors of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, controlling for other related factors such as populist attitudes, trust in political institutions, confidence in media and scientists and pro-Western attitudes. The paper claims that communist nostalgia in Central and Eastern Europe is conducive to conspiracy beliefs in a similar vein as nostalgic narratives employed by populist radical right in Western countries. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of European Societies is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Belief in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories, Level of Trust in Government Information, and Willingness to Take COVID-19 Vaccines Among Health Care Workers in Nigeria: Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recently declared vaccine hesitancy or refusal as a threat to global health. COVID-19 vaccines have been proven efficacious and are central to combatting the pandemic. However, many-including skilled health care workers (HCWs)-have been hesitant in taking the vaccines. Conspiracy theories spread on social media may play a central role in fueling vaccine hesitancy. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate HCWs' belief in COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories (ie, that the vaccines can alter one's DNA or genetic information and that the vaccines contain microchips) and trust in government information on COVID-19 vaccines. METHODS: Health care workers in Ondo State, Nigeria, representing different health care professions were asked to participate anonymously in an online survey. The participants were asked about their beliefs in 2 viral conspiracy theories and their trust in government information on COVID-19 vaccines. We used multivariable logistic regressions to investigate the relationships between trust in government information on COVID-19 vaccines and (1) belief in DNA alteration, (2) belief in microchip implantation through the vaccine, and (3) willingness to accept the vaccine. RESULTS: A total of 557 HCWs (n=156, 28% men and n=395, 70.9% women) were included in the study. A total of 26.4% (n=147) of the sampled HCWs believed COVID-19 vaccines contained digital microchips, while 30% (n=167) believed the vaccines could alter one's DNA or genetic information. The beliefs varied according to professional group, with 45.8% (55/120) and 50% (5/10) of nurses and pharmacists, respectively, believing in the DNA alteration theory and 33.3% (40/120) and 37.5% (6/16) of the nurses and laboratory scientists, respectively, believing in the microchip theory. Social media was an important source of COVID-19 information for 45.4% (253/557) of HCWs. A total of 76.2% (419/550) of the participants expressed a willingness to take the vaccine. The odds of HCWs believing that COVID-19 vaccines contained digital microchips increased significantly with decreasing level of trust in government information on COVID-19 vaccines (odds ratio [OR] 4.6, 95% CI 2.6-8.0). We made a similar finding in those who believed COVID-19 vaccines could alter DNA and genetic information (OR 5.2, 95% CI 3.1-8.8). CONCLUSIONS: Misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines reaches and influences HCWs. A high proportion of the sampled HCWs believed that COVID-19 vaccines contained microchips or that the vaccines could alter recipients' DNA and genetic information. This might have negative consequences in terms of the HCWs' own COVID-19 vaccination and their influence on other people. Lack of trust in government and its institutions might explain the belief in both conspiracy theories and vaccine hesitancy. There is a need for health care stakeholders in Nigeria and around the world to actively counteract misinformation, especially on social media, and give HCWs necessary scientifically sound information.

Hesitant or not: A cross-sectional study of socio-demographics, conspiracy theories, trust in public health information, social capital and vaccine hesitancy among older adults in Ghana.

Vaccination is an effective strategy to reduce the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) burden, but its effectiveness hinges on timely vaccine uptake. Addressing concerns among vaccine-hesitant individuals is critical to preventing the immunization program from failing. This study analyzes the determinants of vaccine hesitance among older adults (aged 50 years and older) in Ghana. We adopted a cross-sectional survey with a quantitative approach that accessed data from 400 older adults from the Accra and Kumasi metropolitan areas using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to estimate the socio-demographic, social capital, conspiracy theories about COVID-19, and public health information factors associated with vaccine hesitance within the sample. The study found that only minority (5%) of respondents had been vaccinated, with 79% indicating willingness to be vaccinated. The study found that females (AOR: 0.734, CI: 0.019-0.036, p = .027) and those who have retired (AOR: 0.861, CI: 0.003-0.028, p = .034) were significantly less likely to engage in COVID-19 vaccine hesitance. Furthermore, the study revealed that participants who trust public health information (AOR: 0.065, CI: 0.022-0.049, p = .031) and have social capital (AOR: 0.886, CI: 0.017-0.032, p = .001) were significantly less likely to present COVID-19 vaccine hesitance. Finally, participants who believe in conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and vaccines (AOR: 3.167, CI: 1.021-2.043, p = .004) were significantly more likely to engage in COVID-19 vaccine hesitance. Efforts to convey vaccination benefits and address issues through evidence-based information are needed to strengthen and preserve the public's trust in vaccines in Ghana.

How do COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, exposure to alternative sources and social media correlate in Germany?

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy beliefs about the virus spread quickly. Using an online-representative survey in Germany, this study examines the rela-tionship between such conspiracy beliefs and media use with special regard to alternative media and influencers as well as social media. Instead of aggregating different social media platforms, this study identifies differences between them. The results show that COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs are positively associated with the use of Telegram. The use of alternative media, Facebook, and YouTube shows only very weak positive associations. On the other hand, exposure to journalistic media is negatively associated with conspiracy beliefs. Cau-salities and implications of these findings are discussed.

Covid-19 Vaccines Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories: An Infodemic on Social Networks and Media in Croatia

Misinformation, conspiracy theories, and negative comments on social networks affect the availability of accurate health information and attitudes toward vaccination. The aim of this paper is to explore the opinions and attitudes of the public, i.e. misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccination and the vaccine against the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus on Internet portals and the social network Facebook. From November 9, 2020 to January 30, 2021, a total of 4,576 comments were analyzed, i.e. 113 posts in the topic of vaccination and vaccines categorized according to sentiment (positive, neutral, irrelevant, and negative). Among the negative comments (20,60 %), 13 main thematic categories were identified. The most represented were in the category of conspiracy theories (35,84 %) and the category of expression of distrust in the composition, effectiveness, safety, and side effects of vaccines (19,93 %), while the percentage of misinformation was 20,90 %. The results highlight the necessity of designing a timely plan and strategy of health campaigns and content for online educational materials and platforms, as well as the initiation of nationwide health education programs.

Predictors of COVID-19 prevention and spread limitation behaviors A literature review

Since the onset of the pandemic, many governments have introduced behavioral measures to prevent and contrast the spread of COVID-19. The aim of this scoping review is to iden-tify the social-psychological predictors of the compliance to these behaviors. We conducted a search (mainly on PsycInfo) and identified 107 articles (to August 2022) that investigated the role of characteristics inherent to the individual (socio-demographics, personality and individual differences related to empathy, prosociality and morality) or related to their per-ception of the COVID-19 (fear, risk perception and other beliefs related to the COVID-19);the contribution of the social context (culture and social identification) and its perception (norms, and trust in the government);and the contribution of factors related to science communication (trust in science and conspiracy beliefs). This review offers an overview of the results of this research and discuss the theoretical and applied implications.

Students ' Attitudes Towards the Origin of the Virus Causing Covid-19 and Vaccination against It

An integrated approach, using quantitative and qualitative research methodology, with a sample of 150 students, reveals the attitude of students to the nature and origin of the virus causing COVID-19, as well as vaccines, scientific evidence and prospects for their use. The results show, despite the expectations that students would have more trust in scientific information about vaccines and a higher percentage of vaccinated, that they do not differ from the general population in our country. More than half believe in conspiracy theories about the artificial origin and spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, and do not trust the scientific evidence on the safety of vaccines. The vaccinated one third of the sample have statistically significantly more confidence in scientific evidence than u nvaccinated. Vaccinated students live in households where the majority are vaccinated, while unvaccinated students live in households where the majority are not vaccinated. The motives for vaccination for those who have done so and those around one tenth who intend to be vaccinated are less related to medical logic. For most of the vaccinated, the motives are related to the way of life - frequent travel abroad, being able to work to survive, not having to pay for different tests every day. The role of higher education institutions in improving students' awareness of the medical logic of pandemic control and making young people leaders in this process is discussed.

Affected more than infected: The relationship between national narcissism and Zika conspiracy beliefs is mediated by exclusive victimhood about the Zika outbreak

Many conspiracy theories appeared along with the Zika outbreak. While the virus is still circulating, motives underlying Zika conspiracy beliefs remain underexplored. National narcissism has been shown to be a robust social motive predicting conspiracy beliefs about other public health crises. This relationship has been interpreted as conspiracy beliefs protecting one's idealistic national image from the crisis by externally attributing any potential threatening factors. We seek to provide an additional account by proposing that such external projection of grievances is rooted in the ethnocentric tendency to frame one's nation's suffering as central to the crisis. We argue that this inflated perception of victimhood, which we operationalized through exclusive victimhood, legitimizes national narcissists' expression of their (conspiracy) view of the crisis, hence managing their identity. Based on a representative sample of the French population (N = 1,104), results confirmed that national narcissism was related to Zika conspiracy beliefs, and that this relationship was mediated by the belief that French people suffered uniquely and more than others from the Zika outbreak. These results held even when controlling for potential confounding variables. We discuss the possible functions of exclusive victimhood in times of global threats, and the defensive role played by conspiracy beliefs.

Conspiracy Theories about Infectious Diseases: An Introduction

Understanding why people believe conspiracy theories related to disease outbreaks and the consequences of such beliefs is critical for combating both the COVID-19 pandemic and its corresponding "infodemic.” In the introduction to this special issue on conspiracy theories about infectious diseases, the authors first provide a brief overview of the narratives of conspiracy theories related to COVID-19, followed by a review of extant theoretical frameworks regarding the psychology of conspiracy beliefs. Specifically, they discuss how epistemic, existential, and social needs contribute to the holding of conspiracy beliefs. Then, the authors summarize the major findings from the nine empirical articles featured in this issue, particularly how they shed light on the antecedents and consequences of disease-related conspiracy beliefs. They conclude by discussing future directions for the study of disease-related conspiracy beliefs.