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WhyDoPeopleBelieveinConspiracyTheories?ScientificAmerican

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SCI ENCES

Why Do People Believe in Conspiracy Theories?

Who believes in conspiracy theoriesand why
By Michael Shermer on December 1, 2014

Credit: Izhar Cohen

PresidentBarackObamahasbeenabusymanwhileinoffice:heconcoctedafake
birthcertificatetohidehistrueidentityasaforeigner,createddeathpanelsto
determinewhowouldliveandwhowoulddieunderhishealthcareplan,conspiredto
destroyreligiouslibertybymandatingcontraceptivesforreligiousinstitutions,blew
uptheDeepwaterHorizonoffshoredrillingrigtogarnersupportforhis
environmentalagenda,mastermindedSyriangasattacksasapretexttowar,
orchestratedtheshootingofatsaagenttostrengthenthatagency'spowers,ordered
theSandyHookschoolmassacretopushthroughguncontrollegislation,andbuilt
concentrationcampsinwhichtoplaceAmericanswhoresist.

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WhyDoPeopleBelieveinConspiracyTheories?ScientificAmerican

Dopeoplereallybelievesuchconspiracytheories?Theydo,andindisturbinglyhigh
numbers,accordingtorecentempiricalresearchcollectedbyUniversityofMiami
politicalscientistsJosephE.UscinskiandJosephM.Parentandpresentedintheir
2014bookAmericanConspiracyTheories(OxfordUniversityPress).Aboutathirdof
Americans,forexample,believethebirtherconspiracytheorythatObamaisa
foreigner.Aboutasmanybelievethat9/11wasaninsidejobbytheBush
administration.

Theideathatsuchbeliefsareheldonlybyabunchofnerdywhiteguyslivingintheir
parents'basementsisamyth.SurveysbyUscinskiandParentshowthatbelieversin
conspiraciescutacrossgender,age,race,income,politicalaffiliation,educational
level,andoccupationalstatus.Peopleonboththepoliticalleftandright,for
example,believeinconspiraciesroughlyequally,althougheachfindsdifferentcabals.
Liberalsaremorelikelytosuspectthatmediasourcesandpoliticalpartiesarepawns
ofrichcapitalistsandcorporations,whereasconservativestendtobelievethat
academicsandliberalelitescontrolthesesameinstitutions.GMOconspiracytheories
areembracedprimarilybythoseontheleft(whoaccuse,forexample,Monsantoof
conspiringtodestroysmallfarmers),whereasclimatechangeconspiracytheoriesare
endorsedprimarilybythoseontheright(whoinculpate,forexample,academic
climatescientistsformanipulatingdatatodestroytheAmericaneconomy).

Groupidentityisalsoafactor.AfricanAmericansaremorelikelytobelievethatthe
CIAplantedcrackcocaineininnercityneighborhoods.WhiteAmericansaremore
likelytobelievethatthegovernmentisconspiringtotaxtherichtosupportwelfare
queensandturnthecountryintoasocialistutopia.

Encouragingly,UscinskiandParentfoundthateducationmakesadifferencein
reducingconspiratorialthinking:42percentofthosewithoutahighschooldiploma
arehighinconspiratorialpredispositions,comparedwith23percentwith
postgraduatedegrees.Evenso,thatmeansmorethanoneinfiveAmericanswith
postgraduatedegreesshowahighpredispositionforconspiratorialbelief.Asan
educator,Ifindthisdisturbing.

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WhyDoPeopleBelieveinConspiracyTheories?ScientificAmerican

Otherfactorsareatworkincreatingaconspiratorialmind.UscinskiandParentnote
thatinlaboratoryexperimentsresearchershavefoundthatinducinganxietyorloss
ofcontroltriggersrespondentstoseenonexistentpatternsandevokeconspiratorial
explanationsandthatintherealworldthereisevidencethatdisasters(e.g.,
earthquakes)andotherhighstresssituations(e.g.,jobuncertainty)promptpeopleto
concoct,embrace,andrepeatconspiracytheories.

Aconspiracytheory,UscinskiandParentexplain,isdefinedbyfourcharacteristics:
(1)agroup(2)actinginsecret(3)toalterinstitutions,usurppower,hidetruth,or
gainutility(4)attheexpenseofthecommongood.Acontentanalysisofmorethan
100,000letterstotheNewYorkTimesin121yearsturnedupthreepages'worthof
suchconspirators,fromAdolfHitlerandtheAfricanNationalCongresstotheWorld
HealthOrganizationandZionistvillagers,cataloguedintoeighttypes:Left,Right,
Communist,Capitalist,Government,Media,ForeignandOther(Freemasons,the
AMAandevenscientists).Thecommonthemethroughoutispowerwhohasitand
whowantsitandsotheauthorsconcludetheirinquirywithanobservation
translatedbyParentfromNiccolMachiavelli'sThePrince(aconspiracymanualof
sorts),forthestrongdesiretorule,andtheweakdesirenottoberuled.

Tothosewhosoconspire,recallthemottoofrevolutionarieseverywhere:sicsemper
tyrannisthusalwaystotyrants.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

MichaelShermerispublisherofSkepticmagazine(www.skeptic.com).Hisnext
bookisTheMoralArc.FollowhimonTwitter@michaelshermer

Scientic American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientic publications
(many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientic American maintains a strict policy of editorial
independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.

2 016 S CI E N TI F I CA ME RI CA N , A DI V I S I ON OF N A TU RE A ME RI CA , I N C.
A LLRI GHTS RE S E RV E D.

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