The importance of context in the effect of emotion on conspiracy theories’ endorsement: The case of the 2019 Hong Kong protests

Endorsing conspiracies is a compensatory control strategy for replenishing the sense of control under threat. Anger and anxiety, commonly embodied in threat appraisal, affect subsequent information processing. We compared appraisal tendency (anxiety-driven) and action tendency (anger-driven) perspectives in explaining the effect of emotions on conspiracies’ endorsement in the context of the Hong Kong anti-extradition law movement in 2019. We also examined the effect of context relevance on conspiracy theories. The participants (N =171) were randomly assigned to anxiety- or anger-inducing conditions and indicated their agreement with context-relevant and irrelevant conspiracies. Induced anger increased endorsement of conspiracy theories more than induced anxiety. We also found a preference for endorsing context-related conspiracy theories over their irrelevant counterparts. Our results favored the action tendency explanation. Controlling the circulation of disinformation and conspiracy theories would be especially important in an emotional environment. Individuals should be aware of their emotions and make careful judgments on the information they receive.