Recently, the literature has devoted increasing attention to beliefs in conspiracy theories. Among various aspects of the phenomenon, it was found that conspiratorial attitudes are associated with political behaviour. In Italy, previous research found that Five Star Movement and right-wing parties' voters tend to show higher levels of conspiratorial thinking than other voters. However, the relationship between conspiracism and vote choice remains obscure. By analysing an Italian panel survey data collected before and after 2016 constitutional referendum, we show that the belief in conspiracy theories is associated with referendum vote choices, even when controlling for partisan opinions, leaders’ evaluations, and perceived economic wealth. Moreover, the effect of conspiracism on referendum vote choice proves to be stronger among the supporters of the government, which promoted the referendum. This paper aims at shedding light on the processes of opinion formation and how these are affected by external attitudes, such as conspiratorial ones.
Political consequences of conspiratorial thinking: evidence from 2016 Italian constitutional referendum / M. Mancosu, R. Ladini, S. Vassallo. - In: ACTA POLITICA. - ISSN 0001-6810. - (2020 Jan). [Epub ahead of print]
Titolo: | Political consequences of conspiratorial thinking: evidence from 2016 Italian constitutional referendum |
Autori: | |
Parole Chiave: | Conspiracy theories; Constitutional reforms; Italian politics; Political behaviour; Referendum |
Settore Scientifico Disciplinare: | Settore SPS/11 - Sociologia dei Fenomeni Politici Settore SPS/04 - Scienza Politica |
Data di pubblicazione: | gen-2020 |
Rivista: | |
Tipologia: | Article (author) |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/s41269-019-00146-3 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 01 - Articolo su periodico |
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ACPO-D-19-00087_R1.pdf | Pre-print (manoscritto inviato all'editore) | Open Access Visualizza/Apri |