Why do some people turn to conspiracy theories after hardship? New research points to a powerful sense that the world is unfair.

New research published in the British Journal of Psychology suggests that experiencing personal hardship does not directly cause conspiracy beliefs. Instead, adversity tends to foster a sense of injustice, which then makes conspiratorial ideas more appealing.

Conspiracy theories can have social and political consequences, but why do people believe them and what conversational techniques work to address them?

Conspiracy theories can have social and political consequences, but why do people believe them and what conversational techniques work to address them?

Institution says it could run out of money by 2031 and wants to cut more than 600 academic and support posts Thousands of staff at the University of Nottingham have been told to prepare for redundancy as part of swingeing financial cuts that academics say will harm the institution’s future. The university’s administration sent letters to 2,700 staff on Tuesday, notifying them their role was at risk of redundancy after its leadership said it could run out of money by 2031. Continue reading...

Health misinformation is now being generated and spread by those in charge of the United States’ public health system. Multiple interventions against health misinformation have been identified and are...

Considering how things could have gone differently may reduce engagement with conspiracy theories.

According to one of Australia's leading cult experts, the number of young adults between 17 and 25 years old joining cults since COVID is increasing at an alarming rate.

Measles is back and highly contagious. Learn about the 2025–26 spikes, the danger for young children and how vaccines prevent severe illness.

The School of Psychology is seeking to appoint a Lecturer in Psychology and a Lecturer in Psychology focusing on Cognition and Neuroscience  to join a collegial, supportive, and intellectually vibrant...

In Western democracies, commentators have noted an unprecedented diversity in protest movements opposing ecological and health regulations, including traditional right-wing authoritarians alongside c...

New research shows highly educated people are just as likely to believe conspiracies as those with less education if they have these psychological traits.

We are delighted by the enthusiastic response to our recent call for papers for the Engaging with Conspiracy Theories, Fostering Democracy conference we will

Conspiracy theories are often viewed as a means to externally attribute ingroup sufferings by blaming them on the actions of powerful groups. Building on this assumption, we tested the hypothesis that...

The article investigates whether and how adherence to conspiracy beliefs (CBs) about COVID-19 pandemic might be associated with (and cause) economic anxiety over various cultural settings and time.…

* CALL FOR PAPERS * Deadline: December 5th, 2025 *

Conspiracy beliefs are often portrayed as a threat to democracies. However, less is known about the extent to which the state of democracy may affect conspiracy beliefs. Hence, we investigated the im...

Beliefs in conspiracy theories are seemingly hard to dispute through facts. Researchers have partly attributed this resistance to certain information processing styles that are associated with cons...

The spread of misinformation about vaccines can slow down collective efforts to respond to life-threatening diseases, and thus severely damage public health. Strategies for counteracting misinformatio...

<p>Conspiracy theories used to be confined to fringe internet discussions and the guy you’d avoid in the pub. Now, thanks to figures like Donald Trump, ...

Did Dezi Freeman really kill two police officers or was he framed by the Government? This is one question being posed on a Facebook group for last weekend’s March for Australia anti-immigration rallie...

The researchers of a new study were 'quite surprised' that it was this group most likely to fall prey to conspiracy beliefs such as QAnon and the flat Earth theory.

As hostility toward immigrants grows, it is essential to explore the psychological factors that contribute to anti-immigrant attitudes. Although the impact of economic hardship, societal anomie, and ...

Belief in anti-immigrant conspiracies may be fueled by financial hardship and a sense of societal breakdown, according to new research. Across six studies, economic stress predicted support for discriminatory policies and even violent actions against non-European immigrants.

This episode focuses on a project that encourages blood donation within Black communities, where University of Nottingham researchers work with Action on Blood. As part of the project, videos were pro...

When a foreign power floods your media with false health alerts designed to create panic, isn’t that as threatening as a military blockade?

Disinformation around a “weather weapon” and cloud seeding is being widely promoted by everyone from anti-government extremists to GOP influencers—and leading to real-world consequences.