People who have experienced hardship in their lives are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Nottingham and the University of Cumbria.
The team carried out three experiments involving a total of 1,284 participants. The results showed that people who had experienced greater hardship were more susceptible to conspiracy theories, but only when those experiences led them to see the world as fundamentally unfair.
Dr Daniel Jolley, lead author of the study, said: "Many people experience significant adversity during their lives, yet most do not become conspiracy believers. Our findings suggest it isn't hardship alone that matters, but how those experiences shape the way people see the world. When adversity leads people to feel that the world is fundamentally unfair, conspiracy theories may become more appealing because they offer an explanation for that injustice."
Testing adversity and injustice
In the first experiment, participants were surveyed about adversities in their lives, including serious illness or injury, bereavement, financial difficulties, relationship breakdown and violence. They were also quizzed about their conspiracy thinking.
The results showed that people who had been through more adverse life events were more likely to perceive the world as unjust, and these perceptions were linked with stronger conspiracy beliefs.
In the second experiment, the researchers compared people who had experienced a violent crime with those who had not. Again, those who had experienced violence reported stronger perceptions of injustice, which in turn were associated with stronger conspiracy beliefs.
The role of perceived fairness
In the third experiment, the researchers tested the role of perceived fairness. Participants who were led to think society was becoming more unfair subsequently reported stronger conspiracy beliefs.
According to the researchers, the findings have "wider implications for societal trust."
Dr Laura Blackie, co-author of the study, said: "Clinical psychologists have long documented the detrimental impact of acute trauma on individuals' worldviews. Our findings suggest that perceptions of unfairness in society might be one such detrimental outcome to result from adversity, and these perceptions may have consequences for the receptivity of conspiracy beliefs and trust in societal institutions. While our findings do not establish causality, they point to an important pathway through which adversity may shape how people view society."
Earlier research on narcissism
A separate 2015 study by researchers at the University of Kent, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, found that people who doubt the moon landings are more likely to be selfish and attention-seeking. Across three online studies, the team found strong links between belief in conspiracy theories and negative psychological traits.
In the first of those studies, 202 participants completed questionnaires on conspiracy beliefs, including how strongly they agreed with statements such as whether governments carried out acts of terrorism on their own soil. They also completed a narcissism scale and a self-esteem assessment. The results showed that people who rated highly on the narcissism scale and who had low self-esteem were more likely to be conspiracy believers.
