The Enduring Lure of Conspiracies

Conspiracy theories are not new, but some today may be especially dangerous.

As long as society has had politics, it’s had conspiracy theories about politics. Researchers disagree on whether there are quantitatively more such sagas in circulation now than in the past, but conspiracy theories certainly seem more front and center in political life today.

The recent conspiracy theory about the “stolen” United States’ presidential election manifests a new twist: It is all conspiracy with no real theory – merely repeated baseless claims with no substantive evidence onlookers can debate. Because it delegitimizes fundamental pillars of political life – the ballot box, free press, governmental institutions and societal norms – it poses a genuine threat to democracy.

Conspiracy theories appeal most to people at the extremes of the political spectrum.

Psychologists and political scientists study the question of who is more prone to subscribe to conspiracy theories. People on both extremes of ...