[troutman]

New research predicts likelihood that one will believe conspiracy theories

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0530154457.htm

Vitriol and Jessecae K. Marsh, an associate professor of psychology at Lehigh University, have found new research that inflated confidence in one's understanding of politics and public policy is associated with the tendency to believe in political conspiracies.

That is, people who overestimate how well they understand politics are more likely to believe that hidden actors or clandestine groups are conspiring in wide-ranging activities to influence important world actions, events, and outcomes.

In a separate study -- published in April -- Vitriol found that system identity threat, or one's perception that society's fundamental, defining values are under siege due to social change can also predict conspiracy thinking.