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. 2022 Mar 15;10(1):66.
doi: 10.1186/s40359-022-00771-2.

Systematic review on the association of COVID-19-related conspiracy belief with infection-preventive behavior and vaccination willingness

Tilli Ripp  1 , Jan Philipp Röer  2
Affiliations

Systematic review on the association of COVID-19-related conspiracy belief with infection-preventive behavior and vaccination willingness

Tilli Ripp et al. BMC Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: In times of a pandemic, not only infections but also conspiracy narratives spread among people. These have the potential to influence the course of the pandemic. Here we summarize and critically evaluate studies from the first year of the pandemic presenting findings on the association between COVID-19-related conspiracy belief and infection-preventive behavior and vaccination willingness.

Method: A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases COVID-19 Data Portal, APA PsycArticles, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Scopus, and PubMed. After removing duplicates, studies meeting the previously defined inclusion and exclusion criteria were subjected to title and abstract screening and content reviewed and analyzed subsequently.

Results and conclusion: The systematic literature search yielded 17 studies meeting our pre-specified inclusion criteria. Twelve studies examined infection-preventive behavior (N = 16,485), and ten studies vaccination willingness (N = 20,210). In summary, belief in COVID-19-related conspiracy narratives was negatively associated with vaccination willingness and infection-preventive behavior. The results point to the importance of the content of the conspiracy narratives. Various explanatory approaches and possible moderator variables are discussed, referencing the state of research on conspiracy beliefs and health-related preventive behavior after the first year of the pandemic. We argue that future studies should strive for a consistent operationalization and use of the term conspiracy belief.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 pandemic; Conspiracy belief; Conspiracy theory; Containment-related behavior; Coronavirus; Infection-preventive behavior; Vaccination; Vaccination willingness.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram on study selection. CB conspiracy belief, IPB infection-preventive behavior, VW vaccination willingness
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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