A moderated mediation model: The role of need for cognitive closure in the relation between system justification and conspiracy beliefs

Need for Cognitive Closure can be defined as a personal preference for predictability and intolerance towards uncertainty. The connection between Need for Cognitive Closure and conspiracy beliefs is evident: conspiracy theories offer simple and conclusive solutions to complex issues, providing explanations for events that do not have clear dynamics. Features of conspiracy theories make them attractive to people high in Need for Cognitive Closure. There are personal characteristics that increase the likelihood of conspiracy theories’ endorsement. The present study (N = 138) tested a moderated mediation model, using variance-based structural equation modeling, highlighting the role of Need for Cognitive Closure as a moderator in the relationship between System Justification and General Conspiracy Beliefs, which resulted as a mediator in the relationship between System Justification and Specific Conspiracy Beliefs/Intention. We observed the moderation effect of Need for Cognitive Closure in the relationship between General Conspiracy Beliefs and Specific Conspiracy Beliefs/Intention. Finally, conspiracy priming showed a strong effect on Specific Conspiracy Beliefs/Intention compared to anti-conspiracy priming and the combination of the two kinds of priming. Results clarify complex dynamics that directly or indirectly foster the endorsement of conspiracy theories. Practical implications regard preventing conspiracy theories’ deleterious effects. Interventions focused on educating people before their exposure to conspiracy theories could provide an attempt to protect people against these theories by warning them about manipulative dynamics to which they will be subjected.