Authors
Jan‐Willem van Prooijen, Jaap Staman, André PM Krouwel
Publication date
2018/9
Journal
Applied cognitive psychology
Volume
32
Issue
5
Pages
661-667
Description
In the present study, we tested whether Muslim minority members are more susceptible to conspiracy theories than majority members in the Netherlands. We examined conspiracy theories that are relevant (portraying the Muslim community as victim or Jewish people as perpetrators) and irrelevant for participants' Muslim identity (about the 2007 financial crisis, and other theories such as that the moon landings were fake). Results revealed that Muslims believed both identity‐relevant and irrelevant conspiracy theories more strongly than non‐Muslims. These differences could not be attributed to the contents of Muslim faith: Ethnic minority status exerted similar effects independent of Muslim identity. Instead, evidence suggested that feelings of both personal and group‐based deprivation independently contribute to belief in conspiracy theories. We conclude that feelings of deprivation lead marginalized minority …
Total citations
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Scholar articles
JW van Prooijen, J Staman, APM Krouwel - Applied cognitive psychology, 2018