Unpacking COVID-19 and conspiracy theories in the UK black community.

We conclude that the uncertainty of the pandemic, combined with historical and contemporary perceived injustice and mistrust, and a lack of specific identity-aligned messaging, created a perfect environment for conspiratorial sense-making to thrive. This alternative sensemaking was inconsistent with the health-protection messaging espoused by the Government. To ensure all groups in society are protected, and for health promotion messages to take purchase, the experiences of different target audiences must be taken into account, with sensemaking anchored in lived experience.