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Cited by 182Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial and Intergroup PsychologyReligion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 75 of the 75 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

What breeds conspiracy antisemitism? The role of political uncontrollability and uncertainty in the belief in Jewish conspiracy

Kofta, Mirosław, Soral, Wiktor, Bilewicz, Michał·2020·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/pspa0000183
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Abstract

Belief in conspiracy theories about Jews is a prototypical example of how a naïve theory can serve as a universal explanation of "all the bad things happening in society." Such a theory often arises in times of political unrest that tend to breed feelings of uncertainty in politics and a lack of control over politics. As both uncertainty (a sense-making deficit) and lack of control (an agency deficit) can relate to conspiracy-based antisemitism, this research examines which of the two processes plays a pivotal role in the belief in Jewish conspiracy. Specifically, we hypothesize that political uncontrollability, rather than political uncertainty, is a critical factor in triggering conspiracy theories about groups. In Study 1 (N = 812) we found that lack of control, but not uncertainty, in the political domain predicted belief in Jewish conspiracy, and subsequently led to increased discriminatory attitudes toward Jews. The results of longitudinal Study 2 (N = 476) revealed that only political uncontrollability led to an increase in conspiracy-related stereotypes of Jews. In Study 3 (N = 172) we found that experimental induction of political uncontrollability increased belief in Jewish, German, and Russian conspiracy, whereas induction of political uncertainty did not. Finally, Study 4 (N = 370) replicated this pattern in another cultural context with more general measures of uncontrollability and uncertainty. It was lack of personal control, rather than uncertainty, that increased belief in Jewish conspiracy-and indirectly predicted other conspiracy theories. Our findings consistently support the critical role of political uncontrollability, not uncertainty, in triggering a conspiracy theory of Jews. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

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Metadata

Authors
Kofta, M., Soral, W., & Bilewicz, M.
Affiliations
University of Warsaw (PL)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2020-05
Volume
118
Issue
5
Pages
900-918
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/pspa0000183
OpenAlex
W3000531909
Cited by
182
References
75
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 28 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 14
FWCI
36.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Science Centre (DEC-2014/15/G/HS6/04589, UMO-2014/15/B/HS6/-03755)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity
Keywords
conspiracy theories, antisemitism, Jewish conspiracy, political uncertainty, political unrest, naive theories
MeSH terms
Adult, Female, Humans, Internal-External Control, Jews, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Politics, Prejudice, Uncertainty

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