Examining the Role of COVID-19 Conspiracy Beliefs in Predicting Vaccination Intentions, Preventive Behavior and Willingness to Share Opinions about the Coronavirus

Zelič, žan; Berič, Martin; Grum, Darja Kobal

doi:10.31577/sp.2022.01.844

Cited by 6 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…Thus, this study showed that higher conspiracy beliefs about vaccination against COVID-19 were associated with lower vaccination intention in the 13 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is in line with previous studies that reported a negative relationship between these variables in different countries in North America, Asia, Europa and elsewhere ( 25 , 63 – 65 , 111 ). Although the correlation between the variables is moderate, the unprecedented scale of the current pandemic makes this relationship very dangerous, to the extent that any reluctance to be vaccinated could represent a major threat to public health ( 112 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Evidence of validity with other variables was assessed by the association between conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines and intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Previous studies have shown that rejection of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 in general and about COVID vaccines in particular are significant predictors of intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 ( 25 , 63 – 65 ). This is to be expected, as conspiracy beliefs about vaccines can increase vaccine hesitancy ( 31 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries

Caycho‐Rodríguez

Valencia

Ventura-León

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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AimsOver the past 2 years, the vaccine conspiracy beliefs construct has been used in a number of different studies. These publications have assessed the determinants and outcomes of vaccine conspiracy beliefs using, in some cases, pooled data from different countries, and compared the results across these contexts. However, studies often do not consider measurement invariance as a necessary requirement for comparative analyses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the cross-cultural MI of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 12 Latin American countries.MethodsConfirmatory factor analysis, item response theory analysis and alignment method were applied to test measurement invariance in a large number of groups.ResultsThe COVID-VCBS showed robust psychometric properties and measurement invariance for both factor loadings and crosstabs. Also, a higher level of acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about vaccines is necessary to respond to higher response categories. Similarly, greater acceptance of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines was related to a lower intention to be vaccinated.ConclusionThe results allow for improved understanding of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines in the countries assessed; furthermore, they provide researchers and practitioners with an invariant measure that they can use in cross-cultural studies in Latin America. However, further studies are needed to test invariance in other countries, with the goal of developing a truly international measure of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries

Caycho‐Rodríguez

Valencia

Ventura-León

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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“…Work to date has produced conflicting results. Although some studies indicated the existence of such a relationship [ 36 , 48 , 52 , 53 , 80 ], there was also evidence suggesting no association between these variables [ 81 , 82 , 83 ]. There is also a discrepancy toward the direction of this association—some studies report a positive relationship [ 36 , 48 , 49 ], while others report a negative one [ 52 , 53 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relationship between belief in conspiracy theories and anxiety had already been observed before the pandemic outbreak [ 35 ]. Recent literature shows that conspiracy beliefs can also be regarded as a predictor of the perceived coronavirus threat [ 36 ]. Belief in conspiracy theories may result in an unrealistically low assessment of the risk from the new coronavirus and, thus, reduce fear [ 37 ], which may lead to a reduction in the incidence of health-promoting behaviors related to COVID-19 [ 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Relationship between the Need for Closure and Coronavirus Fear: The Mediating Effect of Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories about COVID-19

Staszak

Maciejowska

Urjasz

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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This study investigated the relationship between fear of the coronavirus, belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and dimensions of the need for cognitive closure. As there is evidence of associations between these variables, we hypothesized that the relationship between the need for closure dimensions and coronavirus fear may be mediated by conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19. We analyzed the results from 380 individuals who completed online versions of three scales: the Fear of COVID-19 Scale: a short version of the Need for Closure Scale: and—designed for this study—the Conspiracy Theories about the Coronavirus Scale. The results showed that belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories fully mediated the relationship between the fear of the coronavirus and avoidance of ambiguity, as well as closed-mindedness. The findings provided evidence that beliefs in conspiracy theories may play a significant role in reducing the level of coronavirus fear in people with high levels of these traits. In addition, a partial mediation between the fear of the coronavirus and the need for predictability was found. The limitations and implications of the research are discussed.

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Sino–US Great Game Out of the Pandemic: A Conspiracy Theories Perspective

Yan¹,

Zhao²,

Dong³

et al. 2023

Comparative Studies on Pandemic Control Policies and the Resilience of Society

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Examining the Role of COVID-19 Conspiracy Beliefs in Predicting Vaccination Intentions, Preventive Behavior and Willingness to Share Opinions about the Coronavirus

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries

Design and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the COVID-19 Vaccine Conspiracy Beliefs Scale (COVID-VCBS) in 13 Latin American Countries

The Relationship between the Need for Closure and Coronavirus Fear: The Mediating Effect of Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories about COVID-19

Sino–US Great Game Out of the Pandemic: A Conspiracy Theories Perspective

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