Research Article
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Beliefs of Turkish University Students in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories: The Role of Fear of COVID-19 and Political Orientation

Year 2023, Volume: 14 Issue: 37, 37 - 51, 25.02.2023
https://doi.org/10.21076/vizyoner.1100806

Abstract

The main purpose of the study is to determine the level of Turkish university students' belief in the COVID-19 conspiracy theories. The study involves 676 university students from 52 cities in Turkey who are 18 to 36 years old (M = 22.21 years, SD = 2.65). The research is structured in two stages: Study 1 and Study 2. In Study 1, a valid and reliable measuring tool called the COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Scale (CTCV-19S) is developed to determine the extent to which students believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. In Study 2, on the other hand, the level of Turkish university students' belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories is examined using the CTCV-19S within the framework of the role of fear of COVID-19 fear and political orientation. As a result, it is found that Turkish university students believed in COVID-19 conspiracy theories at a higher rate than the general population, and there is a positive relationship between COVID-19 fear and COVID-19 conspiracy theories. It is also found that students with right-wing political views are more prone to believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. 

Supporting Institution

İnönü Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri (BAP) Birimi

Project Number

CAP-2021-2599

Thanks

The study is supported by Research Fund of the Inonu University (Project No: CAP-2021-2599).

References

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  • Biddlestone, M., Green, R., & Douglas, K. M. (2020). Cultural orientation, power, belief in conspiracy theories, and intentions to reduce the spread of COVID‐19. British Journal of Social Psychology, 59(3), 663-673. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12397
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Türk Üniversite Öğrencilerinin COVID-19 Komplo Teorilerine İnançları: COVID-19 Korkusu ve Politik Eğilimin Rolü

Year 2023, Volume: 14 Issue: 37, 37 - 51, 25.02.2023
https://doi.org/10.21076/vizyoner.1100806

Abstract

Bu çalışma temel olarak Türk üniversite öğrencilerinin COVID-19 komplo teorilerine hangi düzeyde inandıklarını belirlemeyi amaçlamaktır. Araştırmaya Türkiye’nin 52 şehrinden yaşları 18 ile 36 yaşları arasında (ort = 22.21 yaş, SS = 2.65) olan 676 üniversite öğrencisi katıldı. Bu araştırma Çalışma 1 ve Çalışma 2 olmak üzere iki aşamada yapılandırıldı. Çalışma 1’de COVID-19 komplo teorilerine ne düzeyde inanıldığını belirlemeyi amaçlayan COVID-19 Komplo Teorileri Ölçeği (CV-19 KTÖ) adında geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçme aracı geliştirildi. Çalışma 2’de ise geliştirilen CV-19 KTÖ ile Türk üniversite öğrencilerinin COVID-19 komplo teorilerine ne düzeyde inandıkları, COVID-19 korkusu ve politik eğilimin rolü çerçevesinde incelendi. Sonuç olarak Türk üniversite öğrencilerinin COVID-19 komplo teorilerine ortalamanın üzerinde inandıkları, COVID-19 korkusu ile COVID-19 komplo teorileri arasında pozitif ilişki tespit edildi. Ayrıca kendisini sağda konumlandıran öğrencilerin COVID-19 komplo teorilerine daha çok inandıkları bulgulandı.

Project Number

CAP-2021-2599

References

  • Abalakina-Paap, M., Stephan, W. G., Craig, T., & Gregory, L. (1999). Beliefs in conspiracies. Political Psychology, 20, 637–647. https://doi.org/10.1111/0162-895X.00160
  • Ahorsu, D. K., Lin, C. Y., Imani, V., Saffari, M., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2020). The fear of COVID-19 scale: Development and initial validation. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00270-8
  • Alper, S., Bayrak, F., & Yilmaz, O. (2020). Psychological correlates of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and preventive measures: Evidence from Turkey. Current Psychology, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00903-0
  • Andrade, G. (2020). Medical conspiracy theories: Cognitive science and implications for ethics. Med Health Care and Philos, 23, 505–518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-020-09951-6
  • Andrade, G. E., & Hussain, A. (2018). Polio in Pakistan: Political, sociological, and epidemiological factors. Cureus, 10(10). https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.3502
  • Bakioğlu, F., Korkmaz, O., & Ercan, H. (2020). Fear of COVID-19 and positivity: Mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty, depression, anxiety, and stress. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00331-y
  • Ball, K. (2016). Cultural mistrust, conspiracy theories and attitudes towards HIV testing among African Americans. Journal of AIDS and Clinical Research, 7(8). https://doi.org/10.4172/2155-6113.1000602
  • Biddlestone, M., Green, R., & Douglas, K. M. (2020). Cultural orientation, power, belief in conspiracy theories, and intentions to reduce the spread of COVID‐19. British Journal of Social Psychology, 59(3), 663-673. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12397
  • Bogart, L. M., & Bird, S. T. (2003). Exploring the relationship of conspiracy beliefs about HIV/AIDS to sexual behaviors and attitudes among African-American adults. Journal of the National Medical Association, 95(11), 1057–1065.
  • Bogart, L. M., Wagner, G., Galvan, F. H., & Banks, D. (2010). Conspiracy beliefs about HIV are related to antiretroviral treatment nonadherence among African American men with HIV. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 53(5), 648-655. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181c57dbc
  • Brotherton, R., French, C. C., & Pickering, A. D. (2013). Measuring belief in conspiracy theories: The generic conspiracist beliefs scale. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 279. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00279
  • Bruder, M., Haffke, P., Neave, N., Nouripanah, N., & Imhoff, R. (2013). Measuring individual differences in generic beliefs in conspiracy theories across cultures: Conspiracy mentality questionnaire. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 225. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00225
  • Cichocka, A., Marchlewska, M., & De Zavala, A. G. (2016). Does self-love or self-hate predict conspiracy beliefs? Narcissism, self-esteem, and the endorsement of conspiracy theories. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(2), 157-166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550615616170
  • Craciun, C., & Baban, A. (2012). “Who will take the blame?” Understanding the reasons why Romanian mothers decline HPV vaccination for their daughters. Vaccine, 30(48), 6789–6793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2012.09.016
  • Çarkoglu, A., & Kalaycıoğlu, E. (2009). The rising tide of conservatism in Turkey. Springer.
  • Çarkoğlu, A. (2007). The nature of left–right ideological self‐placement in the Turkish context. Turkish Studies, 8(2), 253-271. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683840701312245
  • Çarkoğlu, A. (2020). Left-right scale and voting preferences in Turkey. Retrieved May 10, 2021, from https://yetkinreport.com/2020/09/22/turkiyede-sol-sag-cetveli-ve-oy-tercihleri/
  • Çarkoğlu, A., & Toprak, B. (2006). Religion, society and politics in a changing Turkey. TESEV.
  • Douglas, K. M., & Sutton, R. M. (2008). The hidden impact of conspiracy theories: Perceived and actual influence of theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana. The Journal of social Psychology, 148(2), 210-222. https://doi.org/10.3200/SOCP.148.2.210-222
  • Douglas, K. M., Uscinski, J. E., Sutton, R. M., Cichocka, A., Nefes, T., Ang, C. S. and Deravi, F. (2019), Understanding conspiracy theories. Political Psychology, 40, 3-35. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12568
  • Duplaga, M. (2020). The determinants of conspiracy beliefs related to the COVID-19 pandemic in a nationally representative sample of internet users. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7818, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217818
  • Ford, C. L., Wallace, S. P., Newman, P. A., Lee, S. J., & Cunningham, W. E. (2013). Belief in AIDS-related conspiracy theories and mistrust in the government: relationship with HIV testing among at-risk older adults. The Gerontologist, 53(6), 973-984. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gns192
  • Freeman, D., & Bentall, R. P. (2017). The concomitants of conspiracy concerns. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(5), 595-604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-017-1354-4
  • Grzesiak-Feldman, M. (2013). The effect of high-anxiety situations on conspiracy thinking. Current Psychology, 32, 100-118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-013-9165-6
  • Goertzel, T. (1994). Belief in conspiracy theories. Political Psychology, 15(4), 731-742. https://doi.org/10.2307/3791630
  • Greenberg, J., & Jonas, E. (2003). Psychological motives and political orientation--The left, the right, and the rigid: Comment on Jost et al. (2003). Psychological Bulletin, 129(3), 376-382. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.3.376
  • Hogg, R., Nkala, B., Dietrich, J., Collins, A., Closson, K., Cui, Z., ... & Miller, C. (2017). Conspiracy beliefs and knowledge about HIV origins among adolescents in Soweto, South Africa. PloS One, 12(2), e0165087. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0165087
  • Hornsey, M. J., Finlayson, M., Chatwood, G., & Begeny, C. T. (2020). Donald Trump and vaccination: The effect of political identity, conspiracist ideation and presidential tweets on vaccine hesitancy. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 88, 103947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2019.103947
  • Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cut off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118
  • Ilkha. (2021). The places where Covid-19 rules are best applied are mosques. Retrieved May 10, 2021, from https://ilkha.com/guncel/covid-19-kurallarinin-en-iyi-uygulandigi-mekanlar-camilerdir-157246
  • Imhoff, R., & Lamberty, P. (2020). A Bioweapon or a hoax? The link between distinct conspiracy beliefs about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and pandemic behavior. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(8), 1110 –1118. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620934692
  • Jolley, D., & Douglas, K. M. (2014). The social consequences of conspiracism: Exposure to conspiracy theories decreases intentions to engage in politics and to reduce one's carbon footprint. British Journal of Psychology, 105(1), 35-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12018
  • Jost, J. T., Glaser, J., Kruglanski, A. W., & Sulloway, F. J. (2003). Exceptions that prove the rule--Using a theory of motivated social cognition to account for ideological incongruities and political anomalies: Reply to Greenberg and Jonas (2003). Psychological Bulletin, 129(3), 383–393. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.3.383
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There are 63 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Political Science, Behaviour-Personality Assessment in Psychology
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Ender Akyol 0000-0003-4715-0017

Abdullah Atli 0000-0001-7504-484X

Project Number CAP-2021-2599
Early Pub Date February 23, 2023
Publication Date February 25, 2023
Submission Date April 8, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 14 Issue: 37

Cite

APA Akyol, E., & Atli, A. (2023). Beliefs of Turkish University Students in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories: The Role of Fear of COVID-19 and Political Orientation. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Vizyoner Dergisi, 14(37), 37-51. https://doi.org/10.21076/vizyoner.1100806

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https://doi.org/10.25287/ohuiibf.1413337

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