Poll shows conspiracy theories popular

1 in 5 believe China had role in creating virus

One in five people believe to some extent that China created coronavirus as a bioweapon to control the West, research on conspiracy theories has suggested.

A survey has revealed that when asked what they thought of this conspiracy theory, 55 per cent did not agree, 20.2 per cent agreed a little and 5.5 per cent agreed completely.

The research, led by clinical psychologists at the University of Oxford and published in the journal Psychological Medicine, revealed that 59 per cent of adults in England believe to some extent that the government is misleading the public about the virus cause.

More than a fifth (21 per cent) believe the virus is a hoax and 62 per cent agree to some extent that it is manmade.

While 70.9 per cent did not agree the World Health Organization already has a vaccine and is withholding it, while 79 per cent said they did not agree that the virus is caused by 5G.

From May 4-11, 2,500 adults — representative of the English population for age, gender, region and income — took part in the Oxford Coronavirus Explanations, Attitudes, and Narratives Survey (Oceans) online.

Researchers found that half of this group showed little evidence of conspiracy-thinking, 25 per cent showed a degree of endorsement, 15 per cent showed a consistent pattern of endorsement and 10 per cent had very high levels of endorsement.

The authors write: “Higher levels of conspiracy-thinking were associated with less adherence to all government guidelines and less willingness to take diagnostic or antibody tests or to be vaccinated.

“Such ideas were also associated with paranoia, vaccination conspiracy beliefs, climate change conspiracy belief, a conspiracy mentality and distrust in institutions and professions.

“Holding coronavirus conspiracy beliefs was also associated with being more likely to share opinions.” Daniel Freeman, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford, and a consultant clinical psychologist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation, said: “Those who believe in conspiracy theories are less likely to follow government guidance.

“(They) also say that they are less likely to accept a vaccination, take a diagnostic test or wear a face mask.”

He added that the epidemic has all the necessary ingredients for the growth of conspiracy theories, including “sustained threat, exposure of vulnerabilities, and enforced change”.

Freeman went on to explain that the beliefs were “corrosive to our necessary collective response to the crisis”.

The research project is funded by the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre.