Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion

Abstract

Although conspiracy theories have long been a staple of American political culture, no research has systematically examined the nature of their support in the mass public. Using four nationally representative surveys, sampled between 2006 and 2011, 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. In contrast with many theoretical speculations, we do not find conspiracism to be a product of greater authoritarianism, ignorance, or political conservatism. Rather, the likelihood of supporting conspiracy theories is strongly predicted by a willingness to believe in other unseen, intentional forces and an attraction to Manichean narratives. 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.

Believing in Conspiracy Theories: Evidence from an Exploratory Analysis of Italian Survey Data

“…This hypothesis matches the general statement according to which individual predispositions towards conspiracism are prone to be triggered in conditions of power differentials, exclusion from political authority, and perception of threats, when conspiracies can be plausibly attributed to political antagonists (Uscinski & Parent 2014;Oliver & Wood 2014;Uscinski, Klofstad, & Atkinson 2016).…”

“…As we pointed out above, a relevant amount of scientific literature indicates that beliefs in conspiracy theories and other anti-scientific attitudes are widely diffused in public opinion (Darwin, Neave & Holmes 2011;Oliver & Wood 2014;Swami et al 2014;Wood, Douglas & Sutton 2012;Berinsky 2015;Uscinski, Klofstad & Atkinson 2016).…”

“…Beliefs in such theories, together with the development of anti-scientific attitudes, seems to be common among the general public, especially among political extremists and less educated people (Darwin, Neave, & Holmes 2011;Wood, Douglas, & Sutton 2012;Swami et al 2014;Oliver & Wood 2014;Uscinski, Klofstad, & Atkinson 2016;van Prooijen 2017). Nonetheless, the effects of the diffusion of such beliefs are disputed.…”

Rumors and Health Care Reform: Experiments in Political Misinformation

“…18 Brotherton, French, and Pickering 2013;Bruder et al 2013;Oliver and Wood 2014;Wood, Douglas, and Sutton 2012. 19 Kuklinski et al 2000. 20 Nyhan andReifler 2009, 2010.…”

Populism in American Politics

“…Populism needs an enemy, and in many instances that enemy is engaged in a conspiracy to harm the people, to take from them what is rightfully theirs and destroy their way of life. Hofstadter (1962) and Oliver and Wood (2014) argue that American populism tends to adopt a Manichean worldview, a claim that has much to support it. American populism often sees the world in black and white; it does not admit shades of gray.…”