We’re all, to one degree or another, fascinated by conspiracy theories. Many of us scoff at some of them, yet nod in agreement at others. Whether your politics tend toward either conservative or liberal, it doesn’t matter. No one, it seems, is immune from belief in some conspiracy theories to one degree or another.
Often times, we don’t even realize that we believe in a conspiracy theory simply because we think of the matter as a fact, not a conspiracy theory. For example, about 90 million Americans, or about 29 percent of the population, believe aliens exist. Some 66 million think aliens landed at Roswell in 1947. If you don’t accept those ideas, then you’re more likely to see them as conspiracy theories. The rest of us, meanwhile, might say: ‘Oh yeah, that’s true.’
The two most popular conspiracy theories deal with presidents. A whopping 51 percent of Americans – 160 million – belief that JFK was killed in a conspiracy rather than by a single crazed shooter. The next most convincing theory, favored by 44 percent or 138 million Americans, is that George W. Bush and cohorts intentionally misled the American public on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.
These are a few of the conspiracies that Public Policy Polling asked Americans about in the aftermath of the 2012 election. They also asked respondents who they voted for.
Interestingly, Republicans tend to be more conspiracy-prone than Democrats. For example, they are far more prone to favor the idea that the government is populated by lizard people. Five percent of Romney voters gave the thumbs up on that one, while two percent of Obama voters agreed.
So if you’re among the 37 percent of Americans who believe that global warming is a hoax, it’s likely that you voted for Romney. That’s because 61 percent of Republican voters accept that conspiracy theory, compared to 12 percent of Obama supporters.
Only three conspiracies were more commonly believed by Obama supporters: that Bush intentionally misled America about Iraq’s WMDs (a massive 69 percent of his supporters believe that one), that the CIA launched the crack epidemic, and that the moon landing was faked.
There are two theories with equal support among Obama and Romney supporters: that aliens exist and the one about fluoridation. Everything else in the poll was believed more by Romney supporters.
Public Policy Polling, by the way, correctly predicted the presidential election results in all 50 states. But they also have become known for their ‘weird’ polls. During last year’s presidential campaign, for example, they asked: “If God exists, do you approve of its handling of natural disasters?”
Here’s how the Atlantic Wire arranged the findings from most- to least-believed. They also show the actual Americans represented by the percentages.
| Conspiracy | Percent believing | Number of Americans believing |
| JFK was killed by conspiracy | 51 percent | 160,096,160 |
| Bush intentionally misled on Iraq WMDs | 44 percent | 138,122,178 |
| Global warming is a hoax | 37 percent | 116,148,195 |
| Aliens exist | 29 percent | 91,035,072 |
| New World Order | 28 percent | 87,895,931 |
| Hussein was involved in 9/11 | 28 percent | 87,895,931 |
| A UFO crashed at Roswell | 21 percent | 65,921,948 |
| Vaccines are linked to autism | 20 percent | 62,782,808 |
| The government controls minds with TV | 15 percent | 47,087,106 |
| Medical industry invents diseases | 15 percent | 47,087,106 |
| CIA developed crack | 14 percent | 43,947,966 |
| Bigfoot exists | 14 percent | 43,947,966 |
| Obama is the Antichrist | 13 percent | 40,808,825 |
| The government allowed 9/11 | 11 percent | 34,530,544 |
| Fluoride is dangerous | 9 percent | 28,252,264 |
| The moon landing was faked | 7 percent | 21,973,983 |
| Bin Laden is alive | 6 percent | 18,834,842 |
| Airplane contrails are sinister chemicals | 5 percent | 15,695,702 |
| McCartney died in 1966 | 5 percent | 15,695,702 |
| Lizard people control politics | 4 percent | 12,556,562 |
Here’s PPP’s press release on the poll, and here’s more on how Democrats and Republicans differ on conspiracies.
We definitely live in interesting times!
And to all our U.S. friends, well, happy income tax day. Might as well embrace it, right?
To me the emotional energy avid conspiracy theorists waste on the whole subject – mostly lots and lots of anger and blame coupled with a commitment to a story of disempowerment – is simply that – a total waste. You can’t be a conspiracy theorist and awaken. Most of the world of conspiracies consists of emotional projections from unresolved biographical and karmic issues. So why get caught up in that world? The price is far too great. It’s mostly just a distraction the ego sets up to make sure that it never has to be here now, and never has to assume responsibility for its own pain.
Good points, Marcus! I think the intent of the PPP’s poll was to show how stupid we are.
There is and has for a long time been the question, “Does life imitate art, or does art initate life?” Taking note of Darren’s comment about the movies, we can certainly be reminded that life does indeed imitate art, as so many movies are made often years, sometimes decades, prior to events that replicate them.
On a side note,when I was looking up Harrison Ford’s movies on IMDB I see another Indy movie has been given the green light –
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000148/
and he is going to play Indy again.
Here’s a post I did today that shows that synchros do not always bring good things to pass –
https://brizdazz.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/who-can-you-trust.html
Notice all the 42/24 syncs and unicorn syncs between “Blade Runner” and the
Boston Marathon ?
I wrote a post about a storm that hit my hometown on the
24(42 reversed)th March,which injured two marathon runners
(one died five days later) and now less than a month later,another marathon incident,although not caused by natural circumstances.
Unfortunately,there could still be more to this dark synch.
Let’s pray there is not.
I hang around a group who look for synchros in movies that link up with the real world
https://g8ors.blogspot.com.au/
and we find it interesting that “Initiated for the first time on April 15, 2004, Jackie Robinson Day is celebrated each year on that day”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z9TJz-vMJq8
Harrison Ford is also in “Blade Runner” which is based on a PK Dick story and it has a unicorn as a major symbol.
The unicorn is on the official logo of the
Boston Marathon –
https://trakmaniak.blogspot.com.au/2008/11/boston-marathon-unicorn.html
We don’t see these embeds as a conspiracy thing,just as a way of seeing how everything is connected on some level,in this case movies,movie stars and directors.
I’m also a truth seeker, Darren, and have been a truth seeker all my adult life, in many arenas of life. Occasionally, in the search for truth, each of us will come across certain events that appear to have the genuine facts “hidden” and covered up by attempts to present alternate explanations as a means of deceiving. There are as many truths as there are individuals in the world. I think whether we are a seeker of truth, or a conspiracy theorist, is simply a matter of semantics?? Especially since searching for the truth does uncover deception. So for me, its apples and oranges. But, that’s just me.
I’ve been reading a very compelling book called Amelia Earhart: The Truth At Last, which posits that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, ditched the Electra in the Marshall Islands, were picked up by the Japanese and incarcerated at Saipan, where they were later killed and buried according to U.S. military stationed on the island during WWII.
Overwhelming eyewitness testimony from soldiers and native islanders report that Earhart’s plane was deliberately destroyed by decree from President Roosevelt, who moved to cover up all evidence of their presence on Saipan after July 1937, supposedly to diminish feelings of hatred towards the Japanese after the war. It’s a lot to process, but the evidence is really convincing, and proves once again that our government doesn’t always act honorably (or honestly) in the best interest of the American public, whether concealing the fate of a national hero, or lying about the existence of aliens and UFOs.
I’m not a conspiracy theorist
(to me that’s Orwellian double speak used for those in power to stop people looking into the official line of their own official
“conspiracy theories”)
I’m a truth seeker .
When officials call you a truth seeker it doesn’t carry the same sting,so they won’t even acknowledge that you might be in search of the truth.
One “conspiracy theory” I didn’t see in the above poll was that it doesn’t matter who you vote for because both parties are owned by the banks and big business anyway.
Try getting into the White House without the backing of those guys,and if you do,see how long you will stay there if you don’t dance to the Bankster’s tune.
The biggest conspiracy going on the planet is the banking industry and that is NO theory,it is fact.
I sure can’t argue with that, Daz!
I’m definitely NOT a Republican, but, I believe there are reptilians within the gov’t;
that JFK was killed in a conspiracy; certainly that Aliens exist; that we didn’t go to the Moon; that we were misled by Bush in waaaayyyyyy too many directions; that the medical industry does indeed in some manner create certain diseases; and a few other “conspiracy theories”. So, I guess I can be correctly labelled a conspiracy theorist. I don’t mind, though. Some of the things on that list seem too ludicrous to ignore, and I do lots of research on stuff before I form an opinion, and even then, try to remain open-minded. But when I “see” a transparent kind of reptilian overlay on the face of a particular Republican ex-First Lady, it’s impossible to dismiss that!! For me, anyway. Good post, Guys. Good info on the thoughts of the masses.
Reptilians: check.
No matter what our personal opinions that’s a lot of believers for each conspiracy.
I sometimes think though that, with the right amount of publicity, it’s possible to get people to believe virtually anything.
Well said, Mike.