Epistemically Suspect Beliefs about COVID-19: Results from a Population Survey in Finland

We examined the familiarity and popularity of epistemically suspect claims (misinformation and conspiracy theories) about COVID-19 and their associations with cognitive and social factors in a representative population sample (N=1,077, Mage = 51.45, SDage = 16.58) of people living in Finland during the pandemic (September 2021-January 2022). Of cognitive factors, pseudoscientific beliefs, lower scores on the actively open-minded thinking scale, and higher preference for anecdotal information were related to increased tendency to believe in epistemically suspect claims related to COVID-19. Of social factors, lower trust in governmental institutions and science and scientists, and the use of alternative media were associated with the endorsement of epistemically suspect claims about COVID-19. Men were more likely to endorse epistemically suspect claims than women, and the support decreased with age. The present results suggest that epistemically suspect beliefs about COVID-19 are not generally common among the Finnish population. The results suggest that battling the spread of health-related misinformation, like COVID-19 conspiracy theories, may require actions that target different cognitive and social factors, such as the thinking style of individuals; trust felt towards governmental institutions, science, and mainstream media; and the content circulating in social and alternative media.