Centre of social and psychological sciences SAS
Topic
Economic inequality, existential uncertainty and conspiracy beliefs
PhD. program
Health psychology
Name of the supervisor
PhDr. Eva Ballová Mikušková, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Comenius University in Bratislava
Annotation
The economic and existential crises of recent years have led to increasing feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. This is related to the increase in conspiracy theories and thus also in conspiracy beliefs. The dissertation is based on the
model of existential threat by van Prooijen (2020) and a socio-functional approach (Cottrell & Neuberg, 2005). In the dissertation, the student will examine the relationship between experienced uncertainty (subjective feelings
of existential uncertainty and threat), perceived (subjective and/or objective) economic inequality and conspiracy beliefs. Through experimental studies with hypothetical scenarios (with different structural conditions), the student will test
whether conspiracy beliefs can be eliminated by manipulating the structural conditions.
model of existential threat by van Prooijen (2020) and a socio-functional approach (Cottrell & Neuberg, 2005). In the dissertation, the student will examine the relationship between experienced uncertainty (subjective feelings
of existential uncertainty and threat), perceived (subjective and/or objective) economic inequality and conspiracy beliefs. Through experimental studies with hypothetical scenarios (with different structural conditions), the student will test
whether conspiracy beliefs can be eliminated by manipulating the structural conditions.