How to dissuade parents from believing in anti-vaxxer conspiracy theories
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
2y ago
by Darel Cookson, Daniel Jolley, Rachel Povey and Robert Dempsey, written for the Conversation. Older people may be more vulnerable to COVID, but in the UK it’s the young that are now driving the pandemic. Last month, school-age children in Britain were 15 times more likely than people over 80 to have the coronavirus. Leaving young people unvaccinated partly explains why cases have been so high in this group. This is why many countries are now offering COVID jabs to children. In the UK, all 12 to 15-year-olds are being offered a first vaccine dose. Some countries ..read more
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Introducing the Adolescent Conspiracy Beliefs Questionnaire (ACBQ)
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
3y ago
Conspiracy theories can affect people’s beliefs and behaviours in significant ways. For example, they can influence decisions on important issues such as climate change and vaccination. Despite their importance, however, all of the existing research on conspiracy theories has been conducted with adults, and questionnaires to measure conspiracy beliefs have been designed only with adults in mind. Therefore, we do not currently know when and why conspiracy beliefs develop in young people, and how they change over time. This timely project – funded by the British Academy – has developed and valid ..read more
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5G COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and support for violence
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
4y ago
Telecommunications companies, police officials, and media outlets worldwide have suggested that 5G coronavirus conspiracies have sparked a flurry of attacks on telecoms workers and infrastructure since the start of the pandemic. Arson attacks and cases of criminal damage to masts, cabling and other telecoms equipment have been reported in over a dozen countries across the globe, from various places in Europe, to Canada, America, and New Zealand. In April, the BBC’s Newsbeat reported on accounts of harassment and violence, even murder threats, towards telecoms engineers in the UK, due to false ..read more
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Coronavirus is a breeding ground for conspiracy theories – here’s why that’s serious problem
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
4y ago
by Daniel Jolley and Pia Lamberty, written for the Conversation. The novel coronavirus continues to spread around the world, with new cases being reported all the time. Spreading just as fast, it seems, are conspiracy theories that claim powerful actors are plotting something sinister to do with the virus. Our research into medical conspiracy theories shows that this has the potential to be just as dangerous for societies as the outbreak itself. One conspiracy theory proposes that the coronavirus is actually a bio-weapon engineered by the CIA as a way to wage war on China. Others are convinced ..read more
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If others are conspiring, then why should I be well-behaved?
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
4y ago
by Daniel Jolley, Karen Douglas, Ana Leite, and Tanya Schrader We live in a complex world. To navigate this complexity, we often look to other people to decide what we should believe and how we should behave. But what happens if those “others” are perceived to be involved in shady plots and schemes? That is, what if we think they are engaged in conspiracies? Will we still rely on them to infer what sort of beliefs and behaviours are acceptable? This question is important because conspiracy theories are popular. For example, around 60% of British people believe in at least one conspiracy theor ..read more
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50 years today – 20th July 1969 – we landed on the Moon. Or, did we?
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
5y ago
Popular conspiracy theories propose the moon landing was a hoax and the footage recorded in a Hollywood studio. An explanation for why could be that at the time, the Americans had not yet developed a safe way to get a person on the moon – as promised – so they faked it! On the approach to the 50th anniversary, I have been invited to speak about this conspiracy theory, so I thought I’d pen a short blog post on the topic. Conspiracy theories are popular, with 12% of British people believing that the moon landing was faked.  But, why do people believe in conspiracy theories? The moon landing con ..read more
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Conspiracy theories fuel prejudice towards minority groups
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
5y ago
By Daniel Jolley and Karen Douglas Some 60% of British people believe in at least one conspiracy theory, a recent poll reveals. From the idea that 9/11 was an inside job to the notion that climate change is a hoax, conspiracy theories divert attention away from the facts in favour of plots and schemes involving powerful and secret groups. With the aid of modern technology, conspiracy theories have found a natural home online. Conspiracy theories often unfairly and erroneously accuse minority groups of doing bad things. For example, one conspiracy theory accuses Jewish people of plotting to run ..read more
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New research shows a link between belief in conspiracy theories and everyday criminal activity
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
5y ago
In a new paper published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, we have found that people who believe in conspiracy theories – such as the theory that Princess Diana was murdered by the British establishment – are more likely to accept or engage in everyday criminal activity. In our first study, the findings indicated that people who believed in conspiracy theories were more accepting of everyday crime, such as trying to claim for replacement items, refunds or compensation from a shop when they were not entitled to do so. In a second study, we found that exposure to conspiracy theories ..read more
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Cartoon on the psychology of conspiracy theories
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Daniel Jolley
5y ago
In June 2018, I was voted one of the winners of ‘I’m a Scientist’ – which is an online platform to engage school children in science where across a two-week period, I spoke to children of all ages about why people believe in conspiracy theories.  On being voted a winner, I was awarded funding for public engagement activities. I am passionate about science communication where I regularly give public talks.  To try something different, I sought out artists from More than Minutes and gave them the task to draw what we know so far about the psychology of conspiracy theories.  The artists listened ..read more
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Internet prophecy cults 101: QAnon and his predecessors
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
by Mike Wood
5y ago
<this post is a 100%, definitely real email I recently sent that I thought I’d share> FROM: mike@conspiracypsych.com TO: operations@soros.org SUBJECT: Re: advice pls Hi George, Thanks for your email. Flattered that you thought of me – of course I can give you a hand with this. I can see why you want to understand the appeal of QAnon. First, a brief history! “QAnon”, also known as just plain Q, first appeared in October 2017. At first he was just another “insider” posting cryptic hints about the future of U.S. politics on anonymous messageboards, but he quickly gained a following for his ..read more
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