Table 2 Overview of the endorsement rates to COVID-19 specific conspiracy beliefs
| Â | M (SD) | % With zero endorsement | % Agree a little | % Agree moderately | % Agree a lot | % Agree completely |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The pharmaceutical industry exploits COVID-19 to enrich itself financially through medication and vaccinations | 36.93 (34.64) | 20 | 29 | 21 | 12 | 19 |
COVID-19 is no worse than the common flu | 31.74 (33.44) | 16 | 42 | 18 | 7 | 16 |
COVID-19 escaped from a research laboratory | 26.11 (31.26) | 34 | 27 | 12 | 16 | 10 |
COVID-19 was unintentionally released as a bioweapon | 21.09 (29.20) | 38 | 30 | 16 | 8 | 8 |
COVID-19 was intentionally released as a bioweapon | 17.22 (27.11) | 49 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 5 |
The COVID-19 crisis is used by secret societies to establish an authoritarian world order | 15.99 (26.59) | 50 | 24 | 11 | 10 | 4 |
The COVID-19 crisis is supposed to cover up an upcoming economic crisis | 15.46 (26.21) | 49 | 26 | 14 | 2 | 8 |
The COVID-19 crisis is a pretext to restrict civil liberties permanently | 14.30 (26.46) | 58 | 21 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
The COVID-19 crisis is used by Bill Gates to gain more control over the world | 11.20 (23.16) | 58 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
The COVID-19 crisis is used by governments to establish a dictatorship | 10.03 (21.27) | 61 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 3 |
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests do not work and are used to push up/increase case numbers systematically | 10.01 (22.17) | 66 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 4 |
The COVID-19 crisis and the related measures are supposed to be used to abolish (hard) cash | 8.02 (19.27) | 64 | 24 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
COVID-19 vaccines are used to implant a microchip | 7.70 (20.11) | 68 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
COVID-19 infection is prevented by using alcohol and nicotine to protect against COVID-19 infection | 7.43 (20.14) | 71 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
COVID-19 is, among other ways, spread by 5G transmission masts | 7.33 (19.08) | 73 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
The COVID-19 infection is caused by wearing a face mask | 5.49 (17.30) | 77 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 2 |