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Aleksandra Cichocka is a political psychologist at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK, and an affiliate of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland.
Conspiracy theories can undermine political participation, discourage environmental protection and incite violence. Involvement in online conspiracy-theory communities, such as QAnon, can contribute to violent extremism, according to an analysis this year (A. Amarasingam and M.-A. Argentino CTC Sentinel13(7), 37–44; 2020). And those who believe conspiracy theories are less likely than those who don’t to comply with public-health measures. The World Health Organization has called on countries to manage the spread of false information.