A recent survey suggests that a significant portion of Americans harbor beliefs in various conspiracy theories, indicating a prevalent conspiratorial mindset within the country. The study, led by sociologist Christopher Bader at Chapman University in California, found that a majority of respondents believed that the government is hiding information about the 9/11 attacks. Moreover, approximately 40% of participants held conspiracy theories related to aliens, the John F. Kennedy assassination, global warming, and other topics.
The survey, part of the National Survey of Fears – Wave 3, involved 1,511 Americans aged 18 and over, with the results weighted to ensure demographic representativeness. Notably, nearly one-third of respondents believed in a fictional conspiracy theory about the “North Dakota crash,” highlighting the prevalence of paranoia in responses.
Among the conspiracy theories explored, beliefs in government concealment were strongest regarding the 9/11 attacks, with 54.3% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing. Other conspiracy theories included the JFK assassination (49.6%), alien encounters (42.6%), global warming (42.1%), plans for a one-world government (32.9%), Obama’s birth certificate (30.2%), the origin of the AIDS virus (30.1%), the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (27.8%), and the moon landing (24.2%).
Certain demographics were more likely to embrace conspiracy theories, with the study indicating that the prototypical person with a conspiratorial mindset is a white, employed Republican with lower income, affiliated with a Christian denomination but infrequent in attending religious services. Bader noted that conspiracy theorists tended to be more pessimistic, less trusting, and more likely to take actions driven by fear, such as purchasing a gun.
While suspicions of government and conspiracy theories coexist, the study found that belief in paranormal phenomena transcends these attitudes, as more than two-thirds of Americans, regardless of their conspiracy-theory stance, held some paranormal beliefs. The prevalence of conspiracy theories reflects a complex interplay of beliefs, skepticism, and societal factors within American culture.