Do Conspiracy Beliefs Form a Belief System? Examining the Structure and Organization of Conspiracy Beliefs

Authors

  • Adam M. Enders
    Department of Political Science, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA
  • Joseph E. Uscinski
    Department of Political Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
  • Casey A. Klofstad
    Department of Political Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
  • Michelle I. Seelig
    Department of Cinema and Interactive Media, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
  • Stefan Wuchty
    Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA; Miami Institute of Data Science and Computing, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
  • Manohar N. Murthi
    Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
  • Kamal Premaratne
    Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
  • John R. Funchion
    Department of English, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

Abstract

Despite regular reference to conspiracy theories as a “belief system,” few studies have attempted to explore the structure and organization of conspiracy beliefs beyond an examination of correlations between those beliefs. Employing unique data from two national surveys that includes respondent beliefs in 27 conspiracy theories, we decipher the substantive dimensions along which conspiracy beliefs are organized, as well as subgroupings within those dimensions. We find that variation in these conspiracy beliefs can be accounted for with two dimensions: the first regards partisan and ideological identities, while the other is composed of anti-social orientations, such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and acceptance of political violence. Importantly, these two dimensions are uncorrelated. We also find that conspiracy beliefs group together by substantive content, such as those regarding partisan actors or science/medicine. Our findings also demonstrate that inferences about the correlates of conspiracy beliefs are highly contingent on the specific conspiracy theories employed by researchers. We provide suggestions for future research in this vein.