Conspiracy

50% of Americans believe in a conspiracy

By T.K. Randall
June 15, 2014

Image: Full Moon
Credit: Thom Rains / CC BY 3.0 (adapted) According to researchers Eric Oliver and Thomas Wood at the University of Chicago, the combined results of four surveys conducted between 2006 and 2011 show that belief in conspiracies is as strong now as it has ever been in the past.

"We find that half of the American public consistently endorses at least one conspiracy theory and that many popular conspiracy theories are differentiated along ideological and anomic dimensions," the pair wrote."These findings both demonstrate the widespread allure of conspiracy theories as political explanations and offer new perspectives on the forces that shape mass opinion and American political culture."

According to the results, 19% of Americans believe that the events of 9/11 were orchestrated by the government, 25% believe that the recent financial crisis was due to a small cabal of Wall Street Bankers and 11% even believe that the recent switch to energy efficient fluorescent lighting has taken place because the new bulbs make people more obedient and easier to control.

Source: Russia Today

Tags: Conspiracy, United States