Conspiracy exposure reduces civic participation and political engagement

Evidence

Two social psychology researchers at the University of Kent in England found that exposure to anti-government theories made people less likely to want to vote. People subjected to climate change conspiracy theories were less motivated to reduce their carbon footprint. The theories, according to one of the researchers, Karen Douglas, writing in the New York Times, can work directly and subtly to “decrease social engagement” because “they left people feeling powerless.” These findings suggest a troubling symbiosis. As conspiracy sellers become more energized, more profitable, and more politically committed, they feed what seems to be a strength-sapping potion to viewers and listeners. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 978

Categorization

• QUESTION: Did the Kent researchers’ experimental findings replicate at scale, and how do they reconcile with QAnon believers being highly politically active? The paralysis claim seems to sit in tension with galvanized true believers.
• XREF: Connects to research on learned helplessness and to chilling-effects work in free-speech scholarship about self-censorship reducing participation. — connects to: Conspiracy beliefs erode democratic participation and breed extremism — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice: How to Communicate…, 287; Political scandals alone cannot explain Americans’ civic withdrawal — Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone: America’s Declining…, 25; Brief exposure to conspiracy content reduces science acceptance and civic-mindedness — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 196 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy beliefs erode democratic participation and breed extremism #corroborates (1.00) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 287