Conspiracy beliefs prospectively predict health behavior and well-being during a pandemic

Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Tom Etienne, Yordan Kutiyski, André Krouwel

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background. Conspiracy beliefs are associated with detrimental health attitudes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. Most prior research on these issues was cross-sectional, however, and restricted to attitudes or behavioural intentions. The current research was designed to examine to what extent conspiracy beliefs predict health behaviour and well-being over a longer period of time.
Methods. In this preregistered multi-wave study on a large Dutch research panel (weighted to provide nationally representative population estimates), we examined if conspiracy beliefs early in the pandemic (April 2020) would predict a range of concrete health and wellbeing outcomes eight months later (December 2020; N = 5745).
Results. The results revealed that Covid-19 conspiracy beliefs prospectively predicted a decreased likelihood of getting tested for corona; if tested, an increased likelihood of the test coming out positive; and, an increased likelihood of having violated corona regulations, deteriorated economic outcomes (job loss; reduced income), experiences of social rejection, and decreased overall well-being. Most of these effects generalized to a broader susceptibility to conspiracy theories (i.e. conspiracy mentality).
Conclusions. These findings suggest that conspiracy beliefs are associated with a myriad of negative life outcomes in the long run. Conspiracy beliefs predict how well people have coped with the pandemic over a period of eight months, as reflected in their health behaviour, and their economic and social well-being
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2514-2521
Number of pages8
JournalPsychological Medicine
Volume53
Issue number6
Early online date13 Oct 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2023

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Conspiracy beliefs prospectively predict health behavior and well-being during a pandemic'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this