Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS)
Psychology: Values & BeliefsReliability: alpha 0.933 sample items
About this scale
A 15-item measure of generic conspiracist beliefs across five facets: government malfeasance, malevolent global conspiracies, extraterrestrial cover-up, personal well-being, and information control.
Sample item(s)
“The government is involved in the murder of innocent citizens”
“Secret organizations communicate with extraterrestrials but keep this fact from the public”
“Groups of scientists manipulate, fabricate, or suppress evidence”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.93. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use.
Source & citation
Brotherton, R., French, C. C., & Pickering, A. D. (2013): Measuring belief in conspiracy theories: The Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale. Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 4, Article 279.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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