The COVID-19 pandemic signifies not only a global health crisis but has also proven to be an infodemic characterised by many conspiracy theories. Prior research informs us that belief in health-related conspiracies can harm efforts to curtail the spread of a virus. Therefore, as the global efforts of mass inoculation are underway, it is crucial to understand which factors shape tendencies to believe in conspiracy theories. In the current study, we explore how Pakistani adults’ perceived risk of COVID-19, sense of national identity, and trust in traditional and social media sources, are associated with their belief in conspiracy theories related to the pandemic. The data for this study come from an online survey of 501 adults ages 18–49 conducted in April and May 2020 in Pakistan. Our results show that a perception of risk makes it less likely for the participants to believe in conspiracy theories even when taking into account key demographic factors. Furthermore, trust in social media has a positive association with belief in conspiracy theories, whereas trust in traditional media and people’s sense of national identity are not associated with conspiracy beliefs. This study offers important scholarly and policy implications for navigating major global health issues, in Pakistan and other similarly situated countries.

COVID-19 大流行不仅意味着全球健康危机，而且已被证明是一种以许多阴谋论为特征的信息流行病。先前的研究告诉我们，相信与健康有关的阴谋可能会损害遏制病毒传播的努力。因此，随着大规模接种的全球努力正在进行中，了解哪些因素塑造了相信阴谋论的趋势至关重要。在当前的研究中，我们探讨了巴基斯坦成年人对 COVID-19 的感知风险、民族认同感以及对传统和社交媒体资源的信任，与他们对与大流行相关的阴谋论的信念有何关联。本研究的数据来自 2020 年 4 月和 5 月在巴基斯坦对 501 名 18-49 岁成年人进行的在线调查。我们的结果表明，即使考虑到关键的人口统计因素，对风险的感知也使参与者不太可能相信阴谋论。此外，对社交媒体的信任与对阴谋论的信仰呈正相关，而对传统媒体的信任和人们的民族认同感与阴谋论无关。这项研究为解决巴基斯坦和其他类似国家的重大全球健康问题提供了重要的学术和政策意义。而对传统媒体的信任和人们的民族认同感与阴谋信仰无关。这项研究为解决巴基斯坦和其他类似国家的重大全球健康问题提供了重要的学术和政策意义。而对传统媒体的信任和人们的民族认同感与阴谋信仰无关。这项研究为解决巴基斯坦和其他类似国家的重大全球健康问题提供了重要的学术和政策意义。