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Belief in Science‐Related Conspiracy Theories

Shane Littrell et al.

Journal of Social Issues2025https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.70004article
ABDC A
Weight
0.52

Abstract

Conspiracy theories attempt to explain events and circumstances by attributing them to the supposed secret actions of powerful, malevolent groups. Due to their associations with potentially harmful non‐normative behaviors at both the individual and collective levels, researchers have expressed particular concern over conspiracy theories that malign science. To better understand such beliefs, we conducted a national US survey to gauge respondents’ agreement with 11 science‐related conspiracy theories and their political, psychological, and social characteristics. We find that beliefs in specific science‐related conspiracy theories represent two unique factors that are (i) related to non‐normative behaviors including political violence, vaccine refusal, and sharing false information online, and (ii) undergirded by a range of non‐normative personality traits and attitudes. We conclude by discussing the potential role of political leaders in propagating science‐related conspiracy theories and the implications for preventing or reversing science‐related conspiracy theory beliefs.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.70004

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@article{shane2025,
  title        = {{Belief in Science‐Related Conspiracy Theories}},
  author       = {Shane Littrell et al.},
  journal      = {Journal of Social Issues},
  year         = {2025},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.70004},
}

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Belief in Science‐Related Conspiracy Theories

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Evidence weight

0.52

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.47 × 0.4 = 0.19
M · momentum0.68 × 0.15 = 0.10
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.