Antecedents and consequences of Americans' COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: a focus on support for trump, populism, institutional trust, media consumption, and mask-wearing attitudes

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been growing concerns about conspiracy theories across the globe. Especially in the United States, conspiratorial narratives have been promoted by political figures and moved to public discourse from the fringe, shaping public opinion and hampering preventive measures. This study examines a host of political and communicative factors that might contribute to Americans' belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories and how such belief is associated with attitudes toward mask-wearing. Findings from a U.S. national two-wave panel survey showed that support for Donald Trump was the strongest predictor of conspiracy beliefs. Populism, trust in scientific institutions, conservative media use, and social media use predicted such beliefs as well. We also found a negative relationship between conspiracy beliefs and mask-wearing attitudes, suggesting that conspiracy beliefs might threaten public health by hindering preventive behavior. The implications of these findings are discussed.