Monological or Ideological? Themes and Psychosocial Predictors of Conspiracy Belief

A growing body of research exists investigating conspiracy theories as means for satisfying different psychological and social needs, thought to be related to different cognitive styles, personality, and ideologies. To expand on this multidimensional view of conspiracy theory endorsement, the current study aims to assess the potential of a higher-order factor structure. Assessing a large number of contemporary conspiracy theories via factor analysis, we explore which theories tend to be endorsed together. Factor analysis observed groupings of certain conspiracy theories comprising a five-factor structure – ‘alt-right’/discriminatory, ‘left-wing’/government malfeasance, anti-scientific, extra-terrestrial belief/‘conspirituality’ and mythical conspiracy theories. Using regression analyses, we link these clusters to distinct psychosocial profiles, defined by political view, ideological values, personality traits, demographics, and social media platform usage. The findings establish the notion of a higher-order factor structure in conspiracy theory endorsement and highlight the need for nuance in future research. The insights gained provide a foundation for developing interventions that address the underlying needs catered to by conspiracy theories in less detrimental ways.