Social cohesion and the inclination towards conspiracy mentality: comparing Germany and the Visegrad countries

As a relatively stable concept, social cohesion remains a prominent focus of current public discourse. One hope is to find possible solutions or coping strategies for current crises and unstable times. Enhancing social cohesion is one suggestion. A shift to the political right in many European governments, growing support for conspiracy narratives, and anti-democratic tendencies are increasing the urgency for action. The research presented in this article examines the role of social cohesion as a buffer against ill-being and conspiracy mentality. A moderated mediation model was tested in a representative survey study (N > 5,342) in Germany and the Visegrad countries. Results suggest that greater perceived social cohesion is associated with lower levels of detached uncertainty and, in turn, a lower inclination towards conspiracy beliefs. There are differences between countries: Germany, where social cohesion is relatively strong and the level of conspiracy mentality is lower, emerges as profoundly different from Poland, where the conspiracy mentality is much stronger. In Poland, the importance of perceived social cohesion in predicting conspiracy beliefs is weaker than in all other countries. Different religiosity levels in the five countries will likely be the basis for cross-national differences.