Work

Down the “Rabbit Hole” of Conspiracy-Fueled White Nationalism: Linking Outgroup Threat and Uncertainty to Conspiracy Beliefs and Prejudice Toward Immigrants

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: White nationalists represent a growing security threat worldwide. Of concern are their narratives and conspiracy theories that position immigrants of diverse color and religion as the feared “other”—outgroups that are perceived to threaten the values, resources and safety of White people. We use survey data from 570 White Australians to better understand how and why such perceived “outgroup threats” elicit prejudice toward non-White immigrants. We find that perceived outgroup threats are strongly associated with greater prejudice. Importantly, we find that belief in The Great Replacement conspiracy theory explains the outgroup threat/prejudice relationship, while heightened feelings of uncertainty strengthen the relationship.

Source: Studies in Conflict and Terrorism

DOI: 10.1080/1057610x.2024.2370081

Authors: Kristina Murphy, Tiahna Mulholland, Keiran Hardy

Institution: Griffith University

Language: English

Topic: Social and Intergroup Psychology

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Australian Research Council

Award: Understanding the emerging threat of conspiracy-fuelled extremism