His research is supported by funders such as The Leverhulme Trust and The British Academy. A passionate science communicator, he regularly shares his work on TV, radio, and in print, including the BBC, New York Times, and The Guardian. He has also spoken at popular public events like New Scientist Live and the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Relevant publications

I am a social psychologist whose work has explored how conspiracy beliefs emerge, their societal impact, and how to reduce their harm.

Jolley, D. (2026, May 6). Conspiracy theories: What they are and how to spot them. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.58248/RR92

Jolley, D., Dinnick, I., Burgin, L., Ryan, S., Morgan-Finn, O., & Muncer, S. (2026). Investigating the link between sleep quality and belief in conspiracy theories. Journal of Health Psychology, 31(1), 296-313.https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053251320598

Jolley, D., Mari, S., Schrader, T., & Cookson, D. (2025). Sexism and Feminist Conspiracy Beliefs: Hostile Sexism Moderates the Link Between Feminist Conspiracy Beliefs and Rape Myth Acceptance. Violence Against Women, 31(6-7), 1447-1468. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012241234892.

Jolley, D., Paterson, J. L., & McNeill, A. (2024). The impact of conspiracy beliefs on a targeted group: Perceived popularity of Jewish‐targeted conspiracy beliefs elicits outgroup avoidant behaviours. British Journal of Psychology, 115(2), 345-362. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12690

Jolley, D., Seger, C. R., & Meleady, R. (2023). More than a prejudice reduction effect: Positive intergroup contact reduces conspiracy theory beliefs. European Journal of Social Psychology, 53(6), 1262-1275. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2973

Jolley, D., Marques, M. D., & Cookson, D. (2022). Shining a spotlight on the dangerous consequences of conspiracy theories. Current Opinion in Psychology, 47, 101363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101363