Makowska Marta, Ozaki Akihiko, Boguszewski Rafał
Department of Economic Psychology, Kozminski University, Ul. Jagiellońska 57, Warsaw, 03-301, Poland.
Breast and Thyroid Center, Jyoban Hospital of Tokiwa Foundation, 972-8322, Iwaki, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 29;15(1):10857. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-95626-2.
Conspiracy theories in the health domain can potentially erode trust in public health institutions and experts, resulting in non-compliance with public health guidelines and recommendations. This article aims to uncover and describe the widespread conspiracy theories associated with the pharmaceutical industry in Poland, while characterising the individuals who hold these beliefs. An online survey was conducted using a research-focused panel of participants. A quota sample of 1,057 was selected to reflect the basic demographic characteristics of the Polish population. Findings showed that pharmaceutical industry-linked conspiracy theories (PILCT) are widespread among respondents. The most popular theory regarding the concealment of drug side effects was held by 63.1% of respondents. Individuals with children, better financial situations, strong religious beliefs, living in a city or village with a population of less than 500,000 and a lower level of education tend to have higher PILCT beliefs. Higher PILCT beliefs correlate with reduced trust in doctors and the industry. Private healthcare services and vaccination behaviours (both irregular and regular vaccinations) are key predictors of lower PILCT beliefs. Considering the health risks and findings of this study, practitioners must be made aware of such widespread false beliefs to address this challenge properly.
健康领域的阴谋论可能会削弱公众对公共卫生机构和专家的信任，导致人们不遵守公共卫生指南和建议。本文旨在揭示和描述波兰与制药行业相关的广泛存在的阴谋论，同时刻画持有这些信念的人群特征。我们使用一个专注于研究的参与者小组进行了一项在线调查。选取了1057人的配额样本，以反映波兰人口的基本人口统计学特征。研究结果表明，与制药行业相关的阴谋论（PILCT）在受访者中广泛存在。63.1%的受访者持有关于隐瞒药物副作用的最流行理论。有孩子、经济状况较好、宗教信仰强烈、居住在人口少于50万的城市或村庄且教育程度较低的人往往有更高的PILCT信念。更高的PILCT信念与对医生和制药行业的信任降低相关。私人医疗服务和疫苗接种行为（包括不定期和定期接种）是PILCT信念较低的关键预测因素。考虑到本研究的健康风险和结果，必须让从业者意识到这种广泛存在的错误信念，以便妥善应对这一挑战。
