Pseudoscientific Beliefs, Social Influence Sensitivity, and Future Anxiety: A Multi-Group Analysis based on Social Media Status Checking Frequency

University students’ endorsement of pseudoscientific ideas may be shaped not only by knowledge deficits but also by concerns about uncertainty and by responsiveness to social cues. From this perspective, the present study examined future anxiety, social influence sensitivity, and differences related to others' social media status or story-checking frequency (OSMSSCF). Data collected from 331 university students were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), followed by group-based comparisons. The findings showed that as future anxiety increased, students reported stronger tendencies toward social learning–social proof and social comparison. However, social learning–social proof was not associated with pseudoscientific belief dimensions in the overall model. By contrast, social comparison was linked to higher levels of belief in “astrology”, “fortune-telling and mediumship”, and “quantum thinking”, whereas its association with sending messages to the universe was not statistically reliable in the full sample. The group comparisons further suggested that OSMSSCF changed the pattern of these associations. Among students with high OSMSSCF, future anxiety was related to social comparison, and indirect effects accompanied this pathway on some pseudoscientific belief dimensions. Overall, the findings suggest that concerns about the future may foster pseudoscientific beliefs primarily through social comparison, especially for students who frequently monitor others on social media.