Mere exposure to conspiracy theories: effects on radical intentions among believers and nonbelievers

This study investigated the relationship between exposure to conspiracy theories and radicalization, focusing on conspiracy theories from QAnon and Russian propaganda. Through an experimental design, 1736 US-based participants were exposed to four conspiracy theories either before or after answering questions about their activist intentions and radical intentions. The results indicate that exposure to conspiratorial narratives led to a significant increase in radical intentions but a non-significant decrease in activist intentions. This finding supports existing literature linking conspiracy beliefs to non-normative behavior, suggesting a causal relationship between exposure to conspiracy theories and intentions for illegal and violent political action. Additionally, results show that individuals who already held beliefs in the narratives exhibited higher radical intentions after exposure compared to non-believers. This supports theories suggesting that conspiratorial narratives play an important role in radicalization, particularly when combined with other radicalizing factors. Discussion focuses on possible long-term radicalization effects of conspiratorial narratives as well as on the ethical considerations stemming from our findings.