Albanians are most likely to believe in conspiracy theories regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to other Balkans countries.
According to a study published by the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group, over 77% of people in the Western Balkans believe one or more conspiracies related to COVID-19.
The theories range from those claiming the virus is a hoax, related to 5G, or is intended to allow billionaire Bill Gates to insert tracking chips into people’s bodies via the distribution of vaccines.
53.4% of respondents in the Western Balkans said that they were unwilling to take the vaccine. According to an earlier IDRA poll, 54% of Albanians would refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the study, in certain countries, ethnic minorities were more likely to believe in conspiracy theories than the country’s majority ethnicity. For example, 93.7% of Kosovo Serbs believe that the virus was manufactured by the pharmaceutical industry, whereas 89.6% said they would refuse the vaccine.
