Social cohesion and the inclination towards conspiracy mentality: comparing Germany and the Visegrad countries

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F68081740%3A_____%2F25%3A00635766" target="_blank" >RIV/68081740:_____/25:00635766 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/25739638.2025.2511093" target="_blank" >https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/25739638.2025.2511093</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/25739638.2025.2511093" target="_blank" >10.1080/25739638.2025.2511093</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Social cohesion and the inclination towards conspiracy mentality: comparing Germany and the Visegrad countries

Original language description

As a relatively stable concept, social cohesion remains a prominent focus of current public discourse. One hope is to find possible solutions or coping strategies for current crises and unstable times. Enhancing social cohesion is one suggestion. A shift to the political right in many European governments, growing support for conspiracy narratives, and anti-democratic tendencies are increasing the urgency for action. The research presented in this article examines the role of social cohesion as a buffer against ill-being and conspiracy mentality. A moderated mediation model was tested in a representative survey study (N > 5,342) in Germany and the Visegrad countries. Results suggest that greater perceived social cohesion is associated with lower levels of detached uncertainty and, in turn, a lower inclination towards conspiracy beliefs. There are differences between countries: Germany, where social cohesion is relatively strong and the level of conspiracy mentality is lower, emerges as profoundly different from Poland, where the conspiracy mentality is much stronger. In Poland, the importance of perceived social cohesion in predicting conspiracy beliefs is weaker than in all other countries. Different religiosity levels in the five countries will likely be the basis for cross-national differences.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_SC - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the SCOPUS database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50101 - Psychology (including human - machine relations)

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe

ISSN

2573-9638

e-ISSN

2573-9646

Volume of the periodical

33

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

27

Pages from-to

375-401

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105007001917