The comparative conspiracy research survey (CCRS): a new cross-national dataset for the study of conspiracy beliefs

This article introduces the Comparative Conspiracy Research Survey (CCRS) dataset, an individual-level cross-sectional dataset on conspiracy beliefs in eight countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Lebanon, Morocco, South Africa, and the USA. The dataset contains general conspiracy belief scales, as well as country specific data on dominant conspiracy theories. In addition, the questionnaire contains validated scales of social trust, populist attitudes, authoritarianism, self-esteem as well as items measuring political interest, ideology, and socioeconomic class. In this research note, we present the methodology of the survey and provide an example of how researchers can use the dataset. This example tackles the difference in the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and activism intentions across countries. We highlight that activism is related to conspiracy beliefs in consolidated democracies, but not necessarily in developing democracies or more authoritarian regimes. Lastly, we conclude by laying out several possibilities for research using the CCRS dataset.