Who believes in conspiracy theories? A meta-analysis on personality correlates

Conspiracy theories are ubiquitous (e.g., 9/11, COVID-19) and can have negative consequences (e.g., prejudice). Thus, there is an increasing need for evidence-based recommendations (e.g. possible target groups) with respect to interventions and prevention measures. Present Bayesian three-level meta-analysis (686 correlations, 127 independent samples) includes a synthesis of the extant literature with respect to 12 personality correlates and their relationship with conspiracy beliefs. On average, people who believe in pseudoscience, suffer from paranoia or schizotypy, are narcissistic or religious/spiritual and have relatively low cognitive ability, are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. Heterogeneity was partially explained by the examined moderators and no strong evidence for publication bias was found. Implications for developing tailored interventions are discussed in the article.

Automated summary

This article presents a three-level meta-analysis that synthesizes the existing literature on the relationship between personality traits and conspiracy theories. The findings suggest that individuals who believe in pseudoscience, suffer from paranoia or schizotypy, are narcissistic or religious/spiritual, and have relatively low cognitive ability are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories. The article also discusses the implications of these findings for developing tailored interventions.