AI Article Synopsis
- Natural resources are scarce, leading to intergroup dilemmas where groups share these limited resources.
- The research examines how belief in outgroup conspiracy theories negatively impacts sustainable behaviors and the role of intergroup threat perception in this dynamic.
- Three studies reveal that exposure to outgroup conspiracy theories increases feelings of threat, which in turn reduces sustainable intentions and actions in the context of resource sharing.
Article Abstract
Natural resources are limited, and people often share these limited resources in groups, which creates an intergroup resource dilemma. To understand individuals' sustainable behaviours in intergroup resource dilemmas in the context of group interactions, the present research systematically investigates the effect of outgroup conspiracy theories on sustainable behaviours and preliminarily explores the internal mechanism underlying this effect. First, a survey study (Study 1) relying on real-world intergroup relations first confirmed the negative correlation between outgroup conspiracy beliefs and sustainable intentions in intergroup resource dilemmas. Then, an online experimental study that utilized the real situation of a region in China (Study 2) tested the causal relationship between exposure to an outgroup conspiracy theory and sustainable intentions, as well as showing the mediating role of intergroup threat perception underlying this relationship. Finally, a preregistered experimental laboratory study (Study 3) further verified the causal effect of exposure to an outgroup conspiracy theory on sustainable behaviours, again confirming the mediating role of intergroup threat perception. In general, our research demonstrates that exposure to an outgroup conspiracy theory stimulates individuals' environmental neglect and reduces their sustainable behaviours by increasing their perceptions of intergroup threat when faced with intergroup resource dilemmas.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12758 | DOI Listing |
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Article Synopsis
- Natural resources are scarce, leading to intergroup dilemmas where groups share these limited resources.
- The research examines how belief in outgroup conspiracy theories negatively impacts sustainable behaviors and the role of intergroup threat perception in this dynamic.
- Three studies reveal that exposure to outgroup conspiracy theories increases feelings of threat, which in turn reduces sustainable intentions and actions in the context of resource sharing.
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View Article and Find Full Text PDFAre Republicans and Conservatives More Likely to Believe Conspiracy Theories?
Polit Behav
July 2022
School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD UK.
Unlabelled: A sizable literature tracing back to Richard Hofstadter's (1964) argues that Republicans and conservatives are more likely to believe conspiracy theories than Democrats and liberals. However, the evidence for this proposition is mixed. Since conspiracy theory beliefs are associated with dangerous orientations and behaviors, it is imperative that social scientists better understand the connection between conspiracy theories and political orientations.
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