@misc{10481/85542,
year = {2023},
month = {9},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/85542},
abstract = {Conspiracy theories jeopardize public health by disseminating misinformation and undermining authoritative
health guidelines. This study explores social factors associated with the belief in conspiracy theories in Spain
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon the theoretical framework of Max Weber, it posits that beliefs in
conspiracy theories are linked to both instrumental rationality considerations, such as trust in health authorities,
science, and pharmaceutical companies, as well as value-rationality based factors, such as ideological orientation.
The study analyzes recent, nationally representative survey data and is the first to examine the social
predictors of belief in conspiracy theories in Spain during the pandemic. The findings highlight that conspiracy
theory beliefs are (a) associated with considerably worse vaccination behaviors, (b) not or only very weakly
associated with standard demographics such as age, sex, or education, (c) related to instrumental rationality
considerations, and (d) only weakly related to value-rationality indicators such as ideological and religious affiliations.
In conclusion, the study underscores the significance of public health policies that specifically address
conspiracy theory convictions, and to that end, advocates for the application of a Weberian sociological
perspective to better understand the diverse rationalities underlying these beliefs, particularly in the absence of
discernible demographic predictors.},
organization = {Ramon y Cajal research grant (RYC2018-023919-I)},
organization = {Agency ANR, ‘Investissements d’Avenir’ (LabEx Ecodec/ANR-11-LABXT0047)},
publisher = {Elsevier},
keywords = {COVID-19},
keywords = {Conspiracy theory},
keywords = {Max Weber},
keywords = {Social factors},
keywords = {Spain},
keywords = {Vaccine},
title = {Believing in conspiracy theories in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic: Drivers and public health implications},
doi = {10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116263},
author = {Salim Nefes, Türkay and Präg, Patrick and Romero Reche, Alejandro and Pereira Puga, Manuel},
}