The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30)
The goal of educational institutions (especially universities) is to foster critical thinking. However, with the rising popularity of social media and the rapid spread of unchecked information there, more and more people, especially young ones, are inclined to believe in conspiracy theories. This r...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Vilnius University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Psichologija |
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| Online Access: | https://www.journals.vu.lt/psichologija/article/view/36797 |
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| author | Gintarė Butvilauskaitė Vita Mikuličiūtė |
| author_facet | Gintarė Butvilauskaitė Vita Mikuličiūtė |
| author_sort | Gintarė Butvilauskaitė |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The goal of educational institutions (especially universities) is to foster critical thinking. However, with the rising popularity of social media and the rapid spread of unchecked information there, more and more people, especially young ones, are inclined to believe in conspiracy theories. This raises the question of whether university students are truly being taught critical thinking skills that would help combat misinformation. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the interaction between education, critical thinking, and belief in conspiracy theories among young people (aged 25–30). The study involved 73 participants (M = 26.9; SD = 1.7). 36 have a university education (bachelor’s or master’s degree), 37 a nonuniversity education (secondary, secondary with professional qualification, or nonuniversity bachelor’s degree). Participants were provided with instruments to determine their level of belief in conspiracy theories and their critical thinking. The results show that critical thinking fully mediates the relationship between education and belief in conspiracy theories. Additionally, individuals with a university education have a higher level of critical thinking and are less likely to believe in conspiracy theories compared to those without a university education. Finally, a significant negative correlation was found between the critical thinking of young people and their belief in conspiracy theories.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-760f70eedf354e9591c6fb77c5db747f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1392-0359 2345-0061 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Vilnius University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psichologija |
| spelling | doaj-art-760f70eedf354e9591c6fb77c5db747f2025-01-26T18:14:39ZengVilnius University PressPsichologija1392-03592345-00612025-01-017210.15388/Psichol.2025.72.1The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30)Gintarė Butvilauskaitė0https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7225-4973Vita Mikuličiūtė1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8818-9140Vilnius UniversityVilnius University The goal of educational institutions (especially universities) is to foster critical thinking. However, with the rising popularity of social media and the rapid spread of unchecked information there, more and more people, especially young ones, are inclined to believe in conspiracy theories. This raises the question of whether university students are truly being taught critical thinking skills that would help combat misinformation. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the interaction between education, critical thinking, and belief in conspiracy theories among young people (aged 25–30). The study involved 73 participants (M = 26.9; SD = 1.7). 36 have a university education (bachelor’s or master’s degree), 37 a nonuniversity education (secondary, secondary with professional qualification, or nonuniversity bachelor’s degree). Participants were provided with instruments to determine their level of belief in conspiracy theories and their critical thinking. The results show that critical thinking fully mediates the relationship between education and belief in conspiracy theories. Additionally, individuals with a university education have a higher level of critical thinking and are less likely to believe in conspiracy theories compared to those without a university education. Finally, a significant negative correlation was found between the critical thinking of young people and their belief in conspiracy theories. https://www.journals.vu.lt/psichologija/article/view/36797conspiracy theoriescritical thinkingeducation |
| spellingShingle | Gintarė Butvilauskaitė Vita Mikuličiūtė The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30) Psichologija conspiracy theories critical thinking education |
| title | The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30) |
| title_full | The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30) |
| title_fullStr | The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30) |
| title_short | The Interaction Between Critical Thinking, Education and Belief in Conspiracy Theories among Young People (Aged 25–30) |
| title_sort | interaction between critical thinking education and belief in conspiracy theories among young people aged 25 30 |
| topic | conspiracy theories critical thinking education |
| url | https://www.journals.vu.lt/psichologija/article/view/36797 |
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