Actions in the Shadows: The Influence of Conspiracy Theory Endorsement on Consumer Decision-Making
Restricted (Penn State Only)
Author:
Allred, Nathan
Graduate Program:
Business Administration
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
April 25, 2023
Committee Members:
Janet Swim, Outside Unit & Field Member Karen Winterich, Major Field Member Meg Meloy, Major Field Member Lisa Bolton, Chair & Dissertation Advisor Brent Ambrose, Program Head/Chair
Keywords:
consumption conspiracy theory
Abstract:
Conspiracy theories pose risks to consumers, businesses, and society. This dissertation
investigates the role of scientific literacy in a variety of conspiracy beliefs with implications for
consumer well-being and sustainability (e.g., regarding COVID-19, GMOs and climate change).
In contrast to the mixed effects of education in prior work, we find that scientific literacy
undermines conspiracy beliefs and, in turn, conspiracy-related behaviors. This finding is
explained by people’s ability to use two dimensions of scientific literacy—scientific knowledge
and reasoning—to accurately assess conspiracy evidence. For robustness, we assess scientific
literacy through both measurement and manipulation (i.e., interventions), identify two
moderators (evidence strength and narration) that attenuate the effect, and further validate our
theorizing using national and international datasets. We discuss the implications of our findings
for consumers, companies, nonprofit organizations, and governments.