A group of researchers from Ohio State University claim that the hoax of COVID-19 could be a gateway to more complex conspiracy theories.
According to a recent analysis of two longitudinal studies that tracked participant beliefs in various theories, distrust in expertise over real world events can quickly bloom into a general acceptance of conspiracy theories that aren't supported by robust evidence.
The term conspiracist is used to measure someone's confidence in explanations of events that rely on the power of groups. For the purpose of the study, the researchers considered conspiracy theories to be beliefs that are not supported by any evidence at all.
It can be anything from believing the Moon landing was faked to thinking the elections are rigged.
Conspiracy theories include the idea that the virus was released on purpose by a particular agency and that it was exaggerated by the government.
"It's speculative, but it appears that once people adopt one conspiracy belief, it encourages distrust in institutions more generally," says psychologist Russell Fazio from The Ohio State University.
It's very easy to adopt additional conspiracy theories once you start seeing events through that distrustful lens.
The analysis focused on two studies. In June 2020, the first group of people were asked about their beliefs. The second study looked at how people who considered COVID-19 to be a hoax progressed in their conspiracist thoughts.
The results of the 2020 US election were distrusted by those who believed the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak was overstated. There was an increase in conspiratorial thinking by members of the conspiracy minded group.
The second study used public data from over a thousand people. The belief that the swine flu was a hoax predicted a rise in conspiracist thoughts over the course of the year.
"If you read interviews or forums frequented by conspiracy theorists, you will see a phenomenon where people tend to go down the rabbit hole after something happens in their life thattriggers general interest in conspiracy theories."
There was a large event that people couldn't control, so how could they comprehend it? It is possible to follow conspiracy theories.
We don't know why people are drawn to conspiracy theories, and how they might change over time. There are still many unanswered questions despite the links being with personality type.
The spread of conspiracism is associated with an increased risk of violence, discrimination, and poor health choices.
The research suggests that financial hardship may have been one of the causes of conspiratorial thinking, and that it's important to identify thesetriggers in order to limit the harm that these theories can do.
"These findings show that we need to be prepared for any additional large-scale events like COVID-19 to stem off conspiracist thoughts because once people go down the rabbit hole, they may get stuck," says Granados Samayoa.
The research is in a journal.
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