Pandemic Conspiracy Theories: Implications for Health and Polarization

Why were conspiracy theories so prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what did they imply for public health and societal polarization? Based on the notion that conspiracy theories are an evolved response to existential threats, first, I illuminate that widespread conspiracy theories can be expected during any epidemic or pandemic. By reviewing historical examples, I show that comparable conspiracy theories (with comparable implications) have emerged during many significant health crises. Then, I discuss the psychological processes underlying the relationships between conspiracy theories, health behavior, and polarization. Conspiracy beliefs not only influence health behavior (e.g., decreased physical distancing) but also people use conspiracy theories to rationalize or justify their counter-normative health choices (e.g., vaccination hesitancy shapes conspiracy beliefs). Moreover, during the pandemic people high and low in conspiracy beliefs both polarized, but in different ways. People who rejected conspiracy theories were more likely to reject conspiracy theorists than vice versa. People high in conspiracy beliefs were more likely to polarize against the government, however, and resort to violence. Pandemic conspiracy theories have substantial implications for public health and their remarkable spread may have had a negative effect on social trust and societal cohesion.