Italian validation of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS)

Although conspiracy theories influence Italian society, there are no Italian questionnaires to evaluate conspiracist ideation. Hence, the study aimed to validate the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS) in Italian, investigating its validity and reliability. The validation has been done in 2 studies. Specifically, participants completed a translated version of GCBS in Study 1. Explorative Factor Analysis (EFA) showed that the five-factor structure was interpretable. Factors were government malfeasance (GM), extraterrestrial cover-up (ET), malevolent global conspiracies (MG), personal well-being (PW), and control of information (CI). Finally, overall internal consistency was excellent (α = .93). Regarding study Study 2, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) confirmed the structure’s excellent fit indexes (x2/df = 2.87, robust CFI = .957, robust TLI = .941, robust RSMEA = .066, 90% CI [.054, .078]; SRMR = .041). In addition, convergent and criterion validity were acceptable. Finally, socio-demographic characteristics such as political orientation, age, and educational level were related to the likelihood of being engaged in conspiracy theories