DECODE is a four-year research project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PID2025-171937NB-I00; €252,000). The project investigates how conspiracy narratives circulate in digital environments, how they shape citizens’ political attitudes and behaviours, and what consequences they may have for democratic engagement. Moving beyond the study of conspiracy beliefs themselves, DECODE seeks to understand whether, how, and under what conditions exposure to conspiratorial narratives contributes to political disengagement, distrust, and changing relationships between citizens and democratic institutions.

The project combines three complementary research approaches. First, WP1 (Mapping Digital Conspiracies) examines conspiracy narratives circulating on Spanish-language YouTube channels, using qualitative content analysis to identify their main themes, frames, and communication strategies. Second, WP2 (Experimental Survey) employs survey experiments to investigate the causal effects of exposure to conspiratorial narratives on political attitudes, perceptions, and democratic engagement. Finally, WP3 (Longitudinal Panel Study) uses panel data to examine how conspiracy beliefs and democratic attitudes evolve over time, helping to disentangle their relationships and identify longer-term dynamics.

 

Based at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), DECODE brings together researchers specialising in political behaviour, public opinion, political communication, conspiracy theories, and research methodology. The project is led by Carol Galais, with Inés Bolaños coordinating WP1, Alejandro Fernández-Roldán co-leading WP2, and Leire Rincón co-leading WP3. Through its combination of qualitative, experimental, and longitudinal evidence, DECODE aims to advance our understanding of the democratic consequences of conspiratorial thinking and contribute to broader debates on political trust, participation, and democratic resilience.