Childhood bullying found to encourage belief in conspiracy theories
Those who lose trust in the world as young people are more likely to become conspiracy theorists later on, according to a long-term study in Zurich which shows how bullying can pave the way for this.
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“Perceiving the world as a dangerous place, full of evil plans in which ‘evil’ sometimes has to be overcome by force, is not a world view that you simply wake up with one morning,” explained Hanne Duindam, professor at Utrecht University, in the Netherlands to the Keystone-SDA news agency. When conspiracy theories spread rapidly online during the Covid pandemic, the researcher wanted to know where this world view came from.
She looked for answers to these questions in data from Zurich: the “Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood” (z-proso) has been following around 1,500 young people from the city of Zurich since 2004. The participants were recruited at the age of seven and have since been surveyed in several waves, most recently at the age of 24. The study is based at the University of Zurich and is largely funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
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With this data, Duindam’s research team was able to show that a small group of study participants whose trust had been severely shaken by bullying experiences, increasing mistrust and greater emotional stress in their youth were more susceptible to pronounced conspiracy thinking and violent extremist attitudes at the age of 24. These results were recently published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
Helping people to get back on their feet
According to Duindam, the results are also significant from an anti-stigmatisation perspective. “From the outside, it is easy to dismiss certain beliefs as irrational or ‘crazy’. But for people who have been shaped by certain experiences and feelings, such beliefs can make perfect sense within their own life course,” she said. Understanding this context is crucial for effective prevention and for a well-functioning society.
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The study also showed that a small group of young people whose basic trust was shaken early on recovered significantly later in life. “In addition to the question of who is at risk, it is just as revealing to ask: what helps to ‘get back up’?”
The research team recommends measures that promote safety and mental health in schools and families.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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