LGBTI+ conspiracy theory beliefs and prejudice: The role of intergroup contact, social norms and symbolic threat

Conspiracy theories targeting LGBTI+ individuals have become increasingly prominent in public discourse, often reinforcing prejudice and symbolic threat. Across three studies conducted in Slovakia, we examined the associations between belief in LGBTI+ conspiracy theories, affective and cognitive prejudice, symbolic threat, political conservativism, and intergroup contact. Study 1 demonstrated moderate links between contact, prejudice and LGBTI+ conspiracy beliefs. Studies 2 and 3 tested whether communicating tolerant social norms or imagined intergroup contact could decrease conspiracy beliefs via reducing prejudice. Both manipulations failed to significantly affect belief in LGBTI+ conspiracy theories or prejudice, partially due to substantial group of participants unwilling or unable to engage with the manipulations. However, we found strong associations between conservativism, intergroup threat and LGBTI+ conspiracy beliefs. Collectively our findings underscore the complexity of reducing conspiracy beliefs and the importance of considering the broader socio-political context in which such beliefs are formed and maintained.