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Are conspiracy beliefs negatively associated with generosity?

Alper, Sinan, Toribio-Flórez, Daniel, Douglas, Karen M., Capraro, Valerio (2026) Are conspiracy beliefs negatively associated with generosity? Judgment and Decision Making, 21 . ISSN 1930-2975. (doi:10.1017/jdm.2026.10036) (KAR id:114690)

Abstract

People with stronger conspiracy beliefs tend to trust others less, show more antisocial tendencies, and behave more self-centeredly. We investigated whether they are also less likely to act generously. In Study 1 (N = 850; UK), conspiracy beliefs were negatively correlated with charitable donations, though effect sizes were small. In Study 2 (N = 323; US), conspiracy beliefs did not predict sharing in a Dictator Game. In Study 3 (N = 830; US), higher conspiracy beliefs were related to more generosity, but only when donations went directly to the recipient without intermediaries. Overall, people with higher conspiracy beliefs are not less generous per se, but their generosity may be constrained by distrust in institutions or intermediaries.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1017/jdm.2026.10036
Uncontrolled keywords: prosociality, distrust, generosity, donation, conspiracy beliefs
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion
Institutional Unit: Schools > School of Psychology
Former Institutional Unit:
There are no former institutional units.
SWORD Depositor: JISC Publications Router
Depositing User: JISC Publications Router
Date Deposited: 11 May 2026 11:48 UTC
Last Modified: 11 May 2026 11:53 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/114690 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Toribio-Flórez, Daniel.

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9706-709X
CReDIT Contributor Roles:

Douglas, Karen M..

Creator's ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0381-6924
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
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