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Conspiracy Thinking in Europe and America: A Comparative Study

Walter, Annemarie S; Drochon, Hugo

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Abstract

What explains conspiracy thinking in Europe and America? This is the first and largest comparative study of conspiracy thinking to date, presenting findings using a representative sample of 11,523 respondents in nine countries. First, it shows that the overall level of conspiracy thinking in Europe is equal to or slightly lower than the United States, contradicting the notion that conspiracy theories is an especially American phenomenon. Second, people more inclined to conspiracy thinking position themselves towards the right of the political spectrum, engage in magical thinking, feel distrust towards public officials and reject the political system. Finally, we find that – surprisingly – the country context in which respondents reside has hardly any effect as predictor of levels of conspiracy thinking or as a moderator of individual-level determinants. Heterogeneity in conspiratorial thinking seems to be largely a function of individual traits.

Citation

Walter, A. S., & Drochon, H. (2022). Conspiracy Thinking in Europe and America: A Comparative Study. Political Studies, 70(2), 483-501. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321720972616

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 8, 2020
Online Publication Date Dec 16, 2020
Publication Date 2022-05
Deposit Date Nov 10, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Political Studies
Print ISSN 0032-3217
Electronic ISSN 1467-9248
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 70
Issue 2
Pages 483-501
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0032321720972616
Keywords Conspiracy Theory; Conspiracy Thinking; Misinformation; Europe; United States
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/5032402
Publisher URL https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0032321720972616

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