Divided by conspiracy beliefs: interpersonal conflict and relationship quality

Introduction: Belief in conspiracy theories has been linked to a range of social and political outcomes, yet its consequences for close interpersonal relationships remain poorly understood. The present study examined how frequently people experience disagreements and conflicts with their romantic partners that arise specifically because of their differences in conspiracy beliefs and whether such conflicts are associated with lower relationship quality and wellbeing in general.

Method: Using a UK quota sample recruited through Prolific (N = 493), participants reported the frequency and strain they experience from conspiracy

conflicts with their current or previous romantic partners, alongside measures of relationship satisfaction, life satisfaction, and several relationship context

variables. Additionally, we also explored the frequency of conspiracy conflicts across relationships with one’s family members, friends, and co-workers.

Results: More than 20% of participants reported experiencing conspiracy conflicts either “sometimes,” “often,” or “very often” with their current partner,

and approximately 33% did so in their previous romantic relationships. Moreover, more than 20% of participants reported having had the experience of their

previous romantic relationship ending due to such conflicts. Similar frequencies were also reported across other types of close social bonds. Greater conspiracy

conflicts were associated with moderately lower relationship satisfaction, and the strain from such conflicts was associated with slightly lower satisfaction

with life in general. Mediation analyses indicated that conspiracy conflicts were associated with greater relationship difficulties and lower trust and closeness, which in turn were related to lower relationship satisfaction. Although several other relationship context variables were correlated with conspiracy conflicts and relationship satisfaction, none significantly moderated the association between these variables.

Discussion: These findings provide the first estimates of the prevalence of conflicts over conspiracy beliefs in romantic relationships and other types of

close relationships. Moreover, they offer cumulative evidence that such conflicts are linked to poorer relationship functioning and may also, at least when

experienced in the relationship with one’s romantic partner, be associated with lower wellbeing.