Coronavirus and Conspiracy Theories

What is a conspiracy theory?

• The way that coronavirus spreads from country to country

• The official government account on the events and happenings of the world

• a belief that some undercover organization or person is responsible for a circumstance or event.

• Scientific, peer-reviewed knowledge that is accepted by the academic community

According to the article, what impact do conspiracy theories about the coronavirus have?

• make the public mistrust health officials and this distrust could last longer than the pandemic itself

• give people the real answers that they are searching for about the pandemic

• lead to further scientific research to ensure the conspiracy theory is incorrect

• help the public better understand the problem

What does the author mean, when they say that conspiracy theories give people a "sense of agency"

• they can smell the theory

• they can read and understand the false parts of the theory

• people feel lost and out of control

• people feel like they have control by sharing the "knowledge" or theory with others

What have been some of the negative impacts of conspiracy theories?

• People educated officials who are trying to stop the spread of the virus

• People try to cure themselves at home and end up harming themselves more

• People disobey quarantine, refuse to wear a mask, and protest

• all of the above

True or False: A recent study found that people are more likely to share false information on the coronavirus than believe it

• True

• False

True or False: Conspiracy theories on the Coronavirus are only spreading in the United States.

• True

• False

Why do experts think people are attracted/believe in conspiracy theories?

• They make people feel in control and that they have "inside" or "secret" knowledge that other people do not understand

• They can make people feel less alone and part of a group since many theories blame "others" for the problem

• People research the sources and make sure they are widely accepted by the academic community

• A & B

Why do some political leaders spread conspiracy theories?

• They are given bad information from their advisers

• They make money off of the theories that spread

• Conspiracy theories allow them to blame somebody else (their political enemies) for the problems

• They want to see how many people will believe them

True or False: A belief in one conspiracy theory leads to people to believe in more

• True

• False

Why are conspiracy theories dangerous?

• they increase distrust in medical experts and other experts

• they make people believe that data and official sources cannot be trusted

• Many times they use minorities or foreigners to blame for problems in society

• all of the above