Why does COVID-19 attract conspiracy theories? – The Minefield

It is tempting to see the Australian public’s response to COVID-19 in terms of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s well-known “five stages of grief” — but running in reverse. Federal and state government measures to curtail the spread of the virus initially met with widespread acceptance. As lockdown, social distancing and the emotional toll of isolation dragged on, acceptance became a kind of depression, and a preparedness to make compromises that would see some aspects of life return to normal (this would represent the “bargaining” stage). But as cities like Melbourne and parts of Sydney were plunged back into lockdown, we have witnessed an eruption of anger and now, finally, outright denial.

Times of crisis are always fertile seedbeds for conspiracy theories. But the COVID-19 pandemic has proven particularly conducive for those intent on discerning an insidious plot or malign agenda behind both the emergence of the virus and the political response — from mandatory face-masks and restricted movement, to tracking technology and vaccine production.

So what is behind the conspiracies? What makes them so attractive — and now seemingly so widespread? To what extent are these conspiracies part of a wider culture of pervasive distrust and mutual suspicion?

*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from ABC News can be found here ***