Antiscience Will Tear Us Apart: Relationship Between Antiscientific Beliefs and Sustainable Behaviour in a Mexican Population

Sustainability is crucial for addressing environmental and societal issues caused by the climate crisis, particularly in Mexico, one of the most affected countries. Antiscientific beliefs fuelled by misinformation are a major barrier to achieving sustainability. To explore the link between these beliefs and sustainable behaviour, we conducted a pre-registered, cross-sectional study with 415 Mexican participants recruited via social media. We found that conspiracy beliefs were negatively related to pro-ecological behaviour and frugality, paranormal beliefs were negatively related to frugality and equity, and climate change denial was negatively associated with all three behaviours. A latent profile analysis revealed a three-profile model, with 7% of participants displaying high levels of antiscientific beliefs and low levels of sustainable behaviour. These findings are discussed in the context of Mexico’s socio-political environment, emphasizing the need to understand the complex relationship between politics, antiscience, and sustainability in developing countries.