To what extent are conspiracy theorists concerned for self versus others? A COVID-19 test case

Matthew J. Hornsey; Cassandra M. Chapman; Belen Alvarez; Sarah Bentley; Bruno Gabriel Salvador Casara; Charlie R. Crimston; Octavia Ionescu; Henning Krug; Hema Preya Selvanathan; Niklas K. Steffens; Jolanda Jetten

doi:10.1002/ejsp.2737

To what extent are conspiracy theorists concerned for self versus others? A COVID-19 test case

Matthew J. Hornsey^*, Cassandra M. Chapman, Belen Alvarez, Sarah Bentley, Bruno Gabriel Salvador Casara, Charlie R. Crimston, Octavia Ionescu, Henning Krug, Hema Preya Selvanathan, Niklas K. Steffens, Jolanda Jetten

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

76 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We examined whether people who are prone to believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories are characterised by an especially strong concern for others or an especially strong concern for the self, and whether these orientations are associated with willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. We surveyed 4,245 participants from eight nations; three months later we re-contacted 1,262 participants from three nations. Belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories was related to greater concerns about one's own safety, and lower concerns about the safety of close others. Furthermore, conspiracist ideation at Wave 1 predicted reluctance to take a COVID-19 vaccine at Wave 2, mediated through relative concern for self versus others. In sum, people who are high in conspiracy beliefs have relatively higher concern for the self relative to others, with troubling implications for public health.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	285-293
Number of pages	9
Journal	European Journal of Social Psychology
Volume	51
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2737
Publication status	Published - Mar 2021
Externally published	Yes

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title = "To what extent are conspiracy theorists concerned for self versus others? A COVID-19 test case",

abstract = "We examined whether people who are prone to believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories are characterised by an especially strong concern for others or an especially strong concern for the self, and whether these orientations are associated with willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. We surveyed 4,245 participants from eight nations; three months later we re-contacted 1,262 participants from three nations. Belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories was related to greater concerns about one's own safety, and lower concerns about the safety of close others. Furthermore, conspiracist ideation at Wave 1 predicted reluctance to take a COVID-19 vaccine at Wave 2, mediated through relative concern for self versus others. In sum, people who are high in conspiracy beliefs have relatively higher concern for the self relative to others, with troubling implications for public health.",

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doi = "10.1002/ejsp.2737",

language = "English",

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AU - Hornsey, Matthew J.

AU - Chapman, Cassandra M.

AU - Alvarez, Belen

AU - Bentley, Sarah

AU - Salvador Casara, Bruno Gabriel

AU - Crimston, Charlie R.

AU - Ionescu, Octavia

AU - Krug, Henning

AU - Preya Selvanathan, Hema

AU - Steffens, Niklas K.

AU - Jetten, Jolanda

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N2 - We examined whether people who are prone to believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories are characterised by an especially strong concern for others or an especially strong concern for the self, and whether these orientations are associated with willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. We surveyed 4,245 participants from eight nations; three months later we re-contacted 1,262 participants from three nations. Belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories was related to greater concerns about one's own safety, and lower concerns about the safety of close others. Furthermore, conspiracist ideation at Wave 1 predicted reluctance to take a COVID-19 vaccine at Wave 2, mediated through relative concern for self versus others. In sum, people who are high in conspiracy beliefs have relatively higher concern for the self relative to others, with troubling implications for public health.

AB - We examined whether people who are prone to believe COVID-19 conspiracy theories are characterised by an especially strong concern for others or an especially strong concern for the self, and whether these orientations are associated with willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine. We surveyed 4,245 participants from eight nations; three months later we re-contacted 1,262 participants from three nations. Belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories was related to greater concerns about one's own safety, and lower concerns about the safety of close others. Furthermore, conspiracist ideation at Wave 1 predicted reluctance to take a COVID-19 vaccine at Wave 2, mediated through relative concern for self versus others. In sum, people who are high in conspiracy beliefs have relatively higher concern for the self relative to others, with troubling implications for public health.

KW - COVID-19

KW - conspiracy theories

KW - prosocial behavior

KW - vaccine hesitancy

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DO - 10.1002/ejsp.2737

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To what extent are conspiracy theorists concerned for self versus others? A COVID-19 test case

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