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Cited by 483Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial and Intergroup PsychologyParanormal Experiences and Beliefs

Belief in conspiracy theories: Basic principles of an emerging research domain

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van Prooijen, Jan‐Willem, Douglas, Karen M.·2018·European Journal of Social Psychology
DOI 10.1002/ejsp.2530PMC PMC6282974
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Abstract

In this introduction to the EJSP Special Issue on conspiracy theories as a social psychological phenomenon, we describe how this emerging research domain has developed over the past decade and distill four basic principles that characterize belief in conspiracy theories. Specifically, conspiracy theories are consequential as they have a real impact on people's health, relationships, and safety; they are universal in that belief in them is widespread across times, cultures, and social settings; they are emotional given that negative emotions and not rational deliberations cause conspiracy beliefs; and they are social as conspiracy beliefs are closely associated with psychological motivations underlying intergroup conflict. We then discuss future research and possible policy interventions in this growing area of enquiry.

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  • Belief in one conspiracy theory leaves users predisposed to belief in others.

    “others (van Prooijen & Douglas, 2018; Williams et al., 2025).”

    From "Just Asking Questions": Doing Our Own Research on Conspiratorial Ideation by Generative AI Chatbots (2026) · cites this paper as van Prooijen & Douglas, 2018

    In “Conspiracy Theories: An Emerging Research Domain,” the paper says belief in one conspiracy theory is a strong predictor of belief in another. It attributes this pattern to a broader predisposition, rather than showing that believing one theory creates that predisposition. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Research works printed but not linked: 46

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
van Prooijen, J., & Douglas, K. M.
Affiliations
  • VU Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands
  • University of Kent (GB)
Corresponding author
Douglas, Karen M.
ORCID
Douglas, Karen M.
Venue
European Journal of Social Psychology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2018-08-24
Volume
48
Issue
7
Pages
897-908
ISSN
  • 0046-2772 (ISSN-L)
  • 1099-0992
DOI
10.1002/ejsp.2530
PMC
PMC6282974
OpenAlex
W2885131457
Cited by
483
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 64 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 79 · 2023: 70 · 2022: 103 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1
FWCI
61.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • European Journal of Social Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
Keywords
conspiracy theories, conspiracy beliefs, emotional contagion, negative emotions, intergroup conflict, cross-cultural universality, policy interventions

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