Beliefs About the Nature of Knowledge Shape Responses to the Pandemic: Epistemic Beliefs, the Dark Factor of Personality, and COVID‐19‐related Conspiracy Ideation and Behavior
Objective
Global challenges such as climate change or the COVID-19 pandemic have drawn public attention to conspiracy theories and citizens’ non-compliance to science-based behavioral guidelines. We focus on individuals’ worldviews about how one can and should construct reality (epistemic beliefs) to explain the endorsement of conspiracy theories and behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic and propose the Dark Factor of Personality (D) as an antecedent of post-truth epistemic beliefs.
Method and Results
This model is tested in four pre-registered studies. In Study 1 (N = 321), we found first evidence for a positive association between D and post-truth epistemic beliefs (Faith in Intuition for Facts, Need for Evidence, Truth is Political). In Study 2 (N = 453), we tested the model proper by further showing that post-truth epistemic beliefs predict the endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracies and disregarding COVID-19 behavioral guidelines. Study 3 (N = 923) largely replicated these results at a later stage of the pandemic. Finally, in Study 4 (N = 513), we replicated the results in a German sample, corroborating their cross-cultural validity. Interactions with political orientation were observed.
Conclusion
Our research highlights that epistemic beliefs need to be taken into account when addressing major challenges to humankind.
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