Conspiracy mentality and belief in conspiracy narratives: Evidence from Austria

Conspiracy mentality, i.e. the general acceptance of conspiracy theories, and the belief in specific conspiracy narratives such as the Great Replacement, have become part of the political debate in recent years. Populist radical right parties in particular have used these narratives to mobilize their supporters. New data from a representative survey conducted in Austria, a stronghold of the populist radical right, shows the relevance and range of beliefs in both aspects of conspiracy thinking among the population. The survey, conducted in November 2023, includes new questions on three specific conspiracy narratives – the Great Replacement, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change – as well as items for building a conspiracy mentality scale inspired by the work of Bruder et al. (2013). Going beyond testing how certain factors influence conspiracy thinking, the analysis gives an insight into how demographic and, in particular, ideological predictors such as left-right extremism and populism differ when we compare a more general affinity for conspiracy thinking with belief in specific conspiracy narratives.