Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory

According to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, mass immigration to Europe and the U.S. is part of a secret plot to replace the autochthonous White and Christian population with non-White and Muslim immigrants. With the aim of exploring psychological factors that play a role in believing in...

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Main Authors: Alexander Jedinger, Lena Masch, Axel M. Burger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for Psychology 2023-06-01
Series:Social Psychological Bulletin
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.10825
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author Alexander Jedinger
Lena Masch
Axel M. Burger
author_facet Alexander Jedinger
Lena Masch
Axel M. Burger
author_sort Alexander Jedinger
collection DOAJ
description According to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, mass immigration to Europe and the U.S. is part of a secret plot to replace the autochthonous White and Christian population with non-White and Muslim immigrants. With the aim of exploring psychological factors that play a role in believing in the “great replacement” theory, the present research focused on individual differences in reflective thinking. Using data from a cross-sectional study (N = 906), we found that cognitive reflection was negatively associated with belief in the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, even when political ideology and sociodemographic characteristics were controlled in the analysis. The findings highlight the key role of reflective thinking in countering conspiracy theories.
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spelling doaj.art-330b565e95f042d1a65528d634ea4aa12024-02-08T10:54:06ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for PsychologySocial Psychological Bulletin2569-653X2023-06-011810.32872/spb.10825spb.10825Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy TheoryAlexander Jedinger0Lena Masch1Axel M. Burger2GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Cologne, GermanyOtto-Suhr-Institute of Political Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, GermanyGESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, Mannheim, GermanyAccording to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, mass immigration to Europe and the U.S. is part of a secret plot to replace the autochthonous White and Christian population with non-White and Muslim immigrants. With the aim of exploring psychological factors that play a role in believing in the “great replacement” theory, the present research focused on individual differences in reflective thinking. Using data from a cross-sectional study (N = 906), we found that cognitive reflection was negatively associated with belief in the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, even when political ideology and sociodemographic characteristics were controlled in the analysis. The findings highlight the key role of reflective thinking in countering conspiracy theories.https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.10825analytical cognitive styleconspiracy beliefsimmigrantsimmigration policygreat replacement
spellingShingle Alexander Jedinger
Lena Masch
Axel M. Burger
Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory
Social Psychological Bulletin
analytical cognitive style
conspiracy beliefs
immigrants
immigration policy
great replacement
title Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory
title_full Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory
title_fullStr Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory
title_full_unstemmed Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory
title_short Cognitive Reflection and Endorsement of the “Great Replacement” Conspiracy Theory
title_sort cognitive reflection and endorsement of the great replacement conspiracy theory
topic analytical cognitive style
conspiracy beliefs
immigrants
immigration policy
great replacement
url https://doi.org/10.32872/spb.10825
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