Why Do Some Americans Believe Conspiracies?

Research published by the American Psychological Association reveals that people can be prone to believing in conspiracy theories due to a combination of personality traits and motivations, including relying strongly on intuition, feeling antagonism and superiority towards others, and perceiving threats in their environment. The study aimed to examine these factors together to arrive at a more unified account of why people believe in conspiracy theories.

The reasons for believing in conspiracy theories can be grouped into three categories: the desire for understanding and certainty. The desire for certainty is a common reason for believing in conspiracy theories. The misinformation constantly swirling around us is now set against the backdrop of the pandemic, unemployment crisis, mass demonstrations against police violence and racial injustice, and a rise in conspiracy theories like QAnon.

Conspiration theories have been a constant hum in the background for at least the past 100 years, with recent events such as the election of Donald Trump, the U.S. Capitol riot, and several conspiracy theory-inspired mass shootings prompted by these theories. Psychologists’ research offers insight into why people put faith in conspiracy theories, and how they spread.

Conspiration theories abound, and it is crucial to know whom to trust when it comes to health and science information. In the United States politics, conspiracy theories are beliefs that a major political situation is the result of secretive collusion by powerful people striving to influence public opinion. The COVID-19 pandemic has illuminated how conspiracy beliefs can severely impact health, politics, culture, and healthcare.