New release

Hetzel, N., Klawier, T., Prochazka, F., & Schweiger, W. (2022). How do COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, exposure to alternative sources and social media correlate in Germany? Studies in Communication and Media, 11(4), 508-535.

In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, conspiracy theories about the coronavirus have spread rapidly. Based on a representative survey of German internet users, this study examines the connections between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and media use. The focus of the study is on the role of alternative media and influencers, as well as social media. Social media are not considered in aggregate, but rather the connections between the use of individual platforms and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs are differentiated. The results show that COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs are positively related to the use of Telegram. In contrast, there are only very weak positive correlations with the use of alternative media, Facebook and YouTube. Negative correlations are found with the use of journalistic media. Possible causal interpretations and implications of these results are discussed.
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