Conspiracy theories and scientific skepticism rely on epistemological frameworks of radical doubt and institutional distrust.

From screen to policy: Pre-COVID pandemic cinema, conspiracy culture, and the Muhan Project Phenomenon. 2026. https://zenodo.org/records/18140201

This article explores the intersection of pre-COVID pandemic cinema, conspiracy culture, and their impact on public trust in health policy. Analyzing films like Contagion (2011), Outbreak (1995), Flu (2013), and 12 Monkeys (1995) through Theodor Adorno's culture industry framework and Karen Douglas's conspiracy motives, it examines how narratives of institutional betrayal, bioweapons, and misinformation primed audiences for skepticism, amplifying conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 crisis. The study investigates unverified rumors of the USAID Muhan Project and DOGE-related claims, illustra

Individual differences in resistance to truth decay : exploring the role of reasoning and cognitive biases. 2022. http://lccn.loc.gov/2022905953

In this report, the authors address one of Truth Decay's proposed drivers: characteristics of human cognitive processing, such as cognitive biases. The authors describe development of a survey measure that they used to examine characteristics of human cognitive processing (such as cognitive biases) and assess the results for individuals' resistance or susceptibility to Truth Decay. The authors focused on six Truth Decay measures: endorsement of scientific consensus, endorsement of verifiable facts, rejection of false conspiracy theories, distinguishing fact from opinion, willingness to accept

Civic Reasoning through Paranoid and Reparative Reading: Addressing Conspiracy Theories within Racialized and Queer Publics. 2021. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1323995

When classrooms fail to provide racially marginalized students with frameworks that explain their daily experiences, sometimes students turn to conspiracy theories, however inaccurate. This article links marginalized students' critiques of society and paranoid readings of the world with civic reasoning. Through queer and critical race theory, this article offers practices within civics classrooms to address marginalized students' turns to conspiracy theories, rethinking civic reasoning from students' paranoid positionalities as targets of systemic oppression. These practices stem from my teach

Conspiracy theories as engines of connection for enriched public debates on emerging technologies. 2025. https://hal.science/hal-05210975v1

Abstract Conspiracy theories on COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and solar geoengineering (chemtrails) tend to reinforce one another, thereby posing significant challenges to public policy and scientific norms and generating confusion by conflating disparate issues. This paper is based on ongoing ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and France since 2015 in these two areas of active conspiracy attention, involving observation of social media pages and blogs, active participation in gatherings, and semi-structured interviews. Here, I adopt a diplomatic perspective,

The Role of Conspiracist Ideation and Worldviews in Predicting Rejection of Science. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075637

Background: Among American Conservatives, but not Liberals, trust in science has been declining since the 1970's. Climate science has become particularly polarized, with Conservatives being more likely than Liberals to reject the notion that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the globe. Conversely, opposition to genetically-modified (GM) foods and vaccinations is often ascribed to the political Left although reliable data are lacking. There are also growing indications that rejection of science is suffused by conspiracist ideation, that is the general tendency to endorse conspiracy theories

Understanding conspiracy theories. 2023. https://zenodo.org/records/10063982

The aim of this Open Education Resource is to foster a comprehensive understanding of conspiracy theories. These narratives, fueled by ideological biases, frame major social events as the result of secret and malevolent forces acting against the common good. They have become increasingly prevalent and influential, especially in the age of social media, distorting people's perceptions of reality and undermining trust in experts and authorities during crises. By delving into the psychological and cognitive factors driving belief in conspiracy theories, this resource aims to shed light on the roo

The Alienation of Fact. 2022. https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/96969

An investigation of the role of educational privatization and technology in the crises of truth and agency. Today, conspiracy theories run rampant, attacks on facts have become commonplace, and systemic inequities are on the rise as individual and collective agency unravels. The Alienation of Fact explains the educational, technological, and ideological preconditions for these contemporary crises of truth and agency and explores the contradictions and competing visions for the future of education that lie at the center of the problem. Schools are increasingly reimagined as businesses, and high

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on public trust in science. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0328075

Public trust in science plays a critical role in shaping attitudes toward health policies, technological advancements, and societal progress. The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly influenced science communication, governmental policies, and public perceptions of scientific credibility. This study examines shifts in trust in science before and after the pandemic using survey data from 10,000 respondents across multiple demographic groups. Results indicate that respondnatds from North America and Europe Experienced an increase in trust where as Africa and South America Witnessed a decline in trust. M

The Need for Stricter Control of Social Media by the US Government During the COVID-19 Epidemic. 2022. https://doi.org/10.7916/6pt3-8m22

“Spraying chlorine or alcohol on skin kills viruses in the body!” “Hand dryers kill coronavirus.” “Coronavirus kills everyone.”[i] These are just some examples of misleading content that are being spread during the COVID-19 pandemic. With fear around the virus building as the number of cases grows, people are taking advantage of the internet for research. Many posts are drowning out the scientific facts and evidence that others depend on for essential health information, such as prevention methods or symptoms of the disease. Major social media companies have stated that they are working toward

The Psychology of Fake News. 2021. https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/144268

We synthesize a burgeoning literature investigating why people believe and share false or highly misleading news online. Contrary to a common narrative whereby politics drives susceptibility to fake news, people are ‘better’ at discerning truth from falsehood (despite greater overall belief) when evaluating politically concordant news. Instead, poor truth discernment is associated with lack of careful reasoning and relevant knowledge, and the use of heuristics such as familiarity. Furthermore, there is a substantial disconnect between what people believe and what they share on social media. Th