Here’s why millions of people believe conspiracy theories (but you probably don’t)

In America, 65 million people believe that a UFO crashed at Roswell – and another 21 million people believe that the moon landings were faked.

Conspiracy theories became big news last year as ‘fake news’ sites spread misinformation during the election – including conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton.

New research Princeton may have thrown light onto why this happens – and it’s to do with people who feel excluded from society.

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It becomes a cycle, with people who get into conspiracy theories driving away family and friends – and triggering even more exclusion, which drives them to entrench their beliefs.

Alin Coman of Princeton said, ‘Attempting to disrupt this cycle might be the best bet for someone interested in counteracting conspiracy theories at a societal level.

‘Otherwise, communities could become more prone to propagating inaccurate and conspiratorial beliefs.’

Coman and his colleagues got 119 volunteers to rank how strongly they felt emotions including the feeling of being excluded from society – and then rank how strongly they agreed with statements such as, ‘Pharmaceutical companies withhold cures for financial reasons’ and ‘Events in the Bermuda Triangle constitute evidence of paranormal activity.’

Coman said, ‘We chose these particular conspiracy theories for their widespread appeal in the population. These three are, indeed, endorsed by a significant portion of the American population.’

‘Those who are excluded may begin to wonder why they’re excluded in the first place, causing them to seek meaning in their lives. This may then lead them to endorse certain conspiracy beliefs. When you’re included, it doesn’t necessarily trigger the same response.’