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Income inequality and COVID-19 conspiracy belief. A cross-country analysis

Schulte, J.M. (2022) Income inequality and COVID-19 conspiracy belief. A cross-country analysis.

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Abstract:This bachelor thesis offers a cross-country analysis of the effect of income inequality on the belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. It addresses the research question: To what extent does income inequality promote the belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories? To answer this question, bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses are applied. Moreover, a COVID-19 Conspiracy Index for 23 non-European and European countries is computed based on data from an online survey on conspiracy beliefs. Income inequality is constructed by three independent variables: objective income inequality, subjective income inequality, and unemployment. The results of the analyses suggest that income inequality only partially affects the belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. In a bivariate context, only objective income inequality significantly promotes COVID-19 conspiracy belief, while in a multivariate context, objective income inequality loses its significant effect, and unemployment gains it. However, the analyses provide some surprising outcomes in other regards. First, economic wealth appears to have a very significant impact on the belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Second, when Nigeria and Kenya are excluded from the studies, the effect of income inequality becomes more significant. These results ask for further research.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:71 sociology, 88 social and public administration, 89 political science
Programme:Management Society and Technology BSc (56654)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/91947
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