Other recent research has shown that people’s sense of morality plays an important role—albeit often in the wrong direction—in conspiracy beliefs. The new study confirms that this is also true in the case of Covid-19.
Conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and the Covid-19 pandemic have long undermined support for efforts to protect public health and the spread of Covid-19, but appeals to morality and a sense of collective responsibility could put a damper on this ongoing trend. That’s the conclusion of a new international study by Greek and Danish researchers, which analyzed data on nearly 50,000 people from 67 countries.
The researchers, led by social psychologist Theofilos Ginopoulos, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Crete, who made the relevant publication in the scientific journal “PLOS ONE”, found that, no matter how much conspiracy – e.g. that the ongoing pandemic is a lie (fake) or that it is designed to control people – negatively affects public health and prevention efforts (avoiding vaccination or wearing a mask, etc.), she is not immune from the role of ethics, which can be used in a positive direction.
Other recent research has shown that people’s sense of morality plays an important role—albeit often in the wrong direction—in conspiracy beliefs. The new study confirms that this is also true in the case of Covid-19.
The data were collected in the framework of the International Collaboration on the Social & Moral Psychology of the pandemic (ICSMP of COVID-19). Participants filled out questionnaires on a variety of topics, including their belief in conspiracy theories about the coronavirus, their adherence to public health measures, their individual sense of morality, and their morality in the context of cooperation within a group.
Statistical analysis showed that belief in conspiracy theories about Covid-19 is associated with reduced support for public health policies and less adherence to precautionary measures. But both individual and collective-collaborative responsibility appear to moderate this effect of conspiracy theories and increase responsiveness to public health measures.
This, according to the researchers, highlights the important role of ethics and how much she could contribute to countering such conspiratorial notions. As they say, the effort to prevent the spread of the pandemic must incorporate appeals to people’s moral background.
RES-EMP
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