Abstract
Populist attitudes and the tendency to believe in conspiracy theories often go hand in hand, as they are both used by extremist or populist parties. However, more research is needed to scrutinize this association. Consequently, the present large-scale online study assessed whether and how conspiracy theories and populist attitudes are associated. We assessed 488 nonclinical individuals regarding their conspiracy theories, populist attitudes and whether they preferred a more analytic or intuitive thinking style. We found a moderate correlation between general populist attitudes and conspiracy theories. According to multiple regression analysis, conspiracy theories were significantly predicted by three dimensions of populist attitudes (anti-elitism, demand for unrestricted popular sovereignty, homogeneity and virtuousness of the people), and anti-elitism was the most important predictor. Anti-elitism significantly moderated (reduced) the impact of the preference for an analytical thinking style on belief in conspiracy theories. Persons who present populist attitudes and anti-elitist attitudes in particular might be more vulnerable to believing conspiracy theories. We assume that anti-elitism influences a person’s motivation to use analytical thinking skills to reinterpret ideology-inconsistent information to protect existing beliefs and conspiracy theories. The present results provide new insights into the interplay between conspiracy theories and populism and could be helpful in interventions to prevent their spread.