What constitutes belief in conspiracy theories? an exploratory insight into its dimensions

What does belief in conspiracy theories entail? In a time where disinformation and misinformation spread rapidly and public trust in institutions declines, understanding how conspiracist ideation is structured has become increasingly important. However, while most existing studies focus on specific conspiracy beliefs, far less is known about how general conspiracist thinking manifests in different socio-cultural settings. The present study addresses this gap by examining the underlying dimensions of belief in conspiracy theories in a Malaysian sample (n = 145) using the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs scale (GCB-15). Descriptive results revealed moderate endorsement of conspiracy theory beliefs, with the highest agreement observed in domains involving malevolent global conspiracies and information control. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution: institutional secrecy and control, malevolent global conspiracies, extraterrestrial and organisational cover-ups, and state hostility and violence, accounting for 37.87% of the total variance. This structure diverged from the original fivefactor model, reinforcing evidence that the dimensionality of conspiracist ideation is culturally contingent. The findings highlight the need for localised scale validation and demonstrate its value in understanding how belief systems can make populations more susceptible to media manipulation. Such insight is essential for building targeted counter-narratives and strengthening psychological resilience in contested information environments, which presents an avenue for future research.