“Are Republicans and Conservatives More Likely to Believe Conspiracy Theories?”
Enders, A., Farhart, C., Miller, J. et al. Are Republicans and Conservatives More Likely to Believe Conspiracy Theories?. Polit Behav (2022).
Abstract
A sizable literature tracing back to Richard Hofstadter’s The Paranoid Style (1964) argues that Republicans and conservatives are more likely to believe conspiracy theories than Democrats and liberals. However, the evidence for this proposition is mixed. Since conspiracy theory beliefs are associated with dangerous orientations and behaviors, it is imperative that social scientists better understand the connection between conspiracy theories and political orientations. Employing 20 surveys of Americans from 2012 to 2021 (total n = 37,776), as well as surveys of 20 additional countries spanning six continents (total n = 26,416), we undertake an expansive investigation of the asymmetry thesis. First, we examine the relationship between beliefs in 52 conspiracy theories and both partisanship and ideology in the U.S.; this analysis is buttressed by an examination of beliefs in 11 conspiracy theories across 20 more countries. In our second test, we hold constant the content of the conspiracy theories investigated—manipulating only the partisanship of the theorized villains—to decipher whether those on the left or right are more likely to accuse political out-groups of conspiring. Finally, we inspect correlations between political orientations and the general predisposition to believe in conspiracy theories over the span of a decade. In no instance do we observe systematic evidence of a political asymmetry. Instead, the strength and direction of the relationship between political orientations and conspiricism is dependent on the characteristics of the specific conspiracy beliefs employed by researchers and the socio-political context in which those ideas are considered.
There’s a pretty massive difference between Russian election interference, which has quite a bit of evidence behind it, and COVID 5G, which makes zero sense at all.
Yeah, I feel like right-wing conspiracy theories are just batshit insane, whereas at least a few of the left-wing ones are somewhat plausible, though there’s a few that have me scratching my head. Epstein getting murdered is more right-wing? I’m assuming because of the belief that he had dirt on Clinton, though it seems equally likely he had something on Trump and Trump was even president at the time. Conspiracy theory is an interesting look at some of the biases behind each side of the political spectrum.
This list is silly. 4 of the bottom 6 aren’t even a “theory”. They’re straight up documented conspiracies. The GOP brags about REDMAP, voter registration purges, and gerrymandering. Trump has had known Russian Mafia connections since the 80’s. And he and much of the GOP openly align with Russian interests. Anyone who equates those actions as being equivalent to Birtherism is being intentionally dishonest.
… that was kinda the point of the study? It straight up says that the authors think the current inconsistencies in the literature regarding whether one political side has a higher predisposition to believing in a conspiracy is because of how the studies conceptualize “conspiracy theories” differently.
All this (both the article, and people’s reaction to it) seems to indicate to me that we probably need a new word for “the idea of a conspiracy” that is independent from its truth. Like “conspiracy supposition” or something like that.
trump faked covid??? like covid isn’t real