Causes of belief in conspiracy narratives and recommendations for successful risk communication in healthcare

Abstract

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the belief in conspiracy narratives within the population strongly influenced the implementation of containment measures and medical recommendations. Conspiracy narratives involve the belief that a group perceived as powerful would pursue secret plans to harm society, which distinguishes them from misinformation or disinformation. This paper presents findings from the research literature on the causes of conspiracy beliefs, their effects on individual health behaviors, and ways to counteract their spread. In situations where people have less capacity and motivation for deeper information processing, they form their opinions more heuristically, which increases vulnerability to cognitive biases. People become particularly susceptible to receiving misinformation or disinformation, which are frequently linked to the emotionalization of facts and simplistic responses. Belief in conspiracy narratives may become more easily established, with additional issues of personal identity and various psychological motives playing a role, among others. A general distrust of people who are perceived as “powerful,” such as representatives from science, medicine, and politics, can arise. Digital networks additionally contribute to the spread of conspiracy narratives. There are several ways that healthcare institutions can reduce the emergence and spread of misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy narratives through their risk and crisis communications. The Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Model (CERC) provides important approaches in this regard.