Conspiracy beliefs

The Annenberg Public Policy Center has received support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to expand a new model for blunting the impact of deceptive claims about health.

FactCheck.org has released its list of the Whoppers of '22, its annual review of the year's worst political and viral deceptions. Political appeals to fear were as popular as ever -- and Covid-19 misinformation continued to be a huge problem online.

A new panel study from APPC researchers shows that people who evinced a conspiracy mentality in 2019, prior to the pandemic, were subsequently more likely to believe Covid-19 conspiracy theories.

A survey shows public knowledge about monkeypox has increased rapidly in recent weeks, though misconceptions and uncertainty persist.

"Creating Conspiracy Beliefs: How Our Thoughts Are Shaped" (Cambridge University Press), by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Western Illinois University, investigates influences on conspiracy beliefs.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, conspiracy theorists have exploited the conditional nature of science and questioned the trustworthiness and motives of federal agencies and officials to depict scientists and health authorities as malign actors.

The "Guide for Understanding How to Protect Yourself and Your Community" from COVID-19 offers valuable information about the disease and its origin, transmission, virulence, prevention and treatments.

APPC and FactCheck.org are part of an NSF-funded collaboration to counter misinformation online by narrowing the gap between research and response.