A Cross-Cultural Assessment of Conspiracy Beliefs, Trust In Institutions, and Attitudes Towards The Covid-19 Vaccination

Conspiracy beliefs have spread during the Covid-19 pandemic. They impact how much individuals trust societal institutions and how people feel towards the vaccine. In the present research (N=538), we assessed the links between conspiracy beliefs, trust in institutions (e.g., government, World Health Organization), and attitudes towards the Covid-19 vaccination across the United States, Brazil, and United Kingdom. A moderated mediation analysis revealed the crucial role of political leaders in linking conspiracy beliefs with attitudes. Trust in the president was positively associated with conspiracy beliefs in Brazil because of its conspiracist president, which in turn was negatively associated with attitudes. In contrast, conspiracy beliefs were negatively associated with trust in the prime minister\president in the UK and US. In conclusion, our findings contribute to understanding the underlying mechanisms that link conspiracy beliefs with trust and vaccination attitudes, especially due to the impact of culture.