Pathways to Climate Misinformation: Political Ideology, Conspiratorial Belief, and Exposure to Fake News

Despite recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlighting the global harms of human-induced climate change, conspiracy theories denying its reality, causes, and consequences remain widespread. This study examined how political orientation and belief in climate-related conspiracy theories influence susceptibility to fake climate news. A total of 460 participants completed measures on political attitudes, conspiracy endorsement, and belief in fake news. Path analysis showed that a more conservative orientation predicted greater exposure to conspiracy content and increased belief in fake news, indirectly mediated by stronger conspiracy endorsement. Exposure may stem from both personal interest and online echo chambers shaped by ideological homophily. These results underscore the influence of political ideology and conspiratorial worldviews on climate misinformation and emphasize the need for interventions promoting critical thinking, media literacy, and reduced conspiracy belief to support informed public discourse.