Conspiracy mentality around the globe tends to be particularly pronounced on the political fringes

Results of surveys involving more than 100,000 participants in 26 countries show a correlation between belief in conspiracies and identification as far-left, and, in particular, far-right. Conspiracy theories have circulated at all times, in all cultures, and among all populations. They routinely appear in conjunction with major incidents, such as those that today take the form of terrorist attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic, and presidential elections. As two recent surveys undertaken in 26 countries have demonstrated, an individual's belief in conspiracies tends to go hand-in-hand with his or her predilection for the political extremes. This seems to be the case in those with far-left views and it is even more the case in supporters of the far-right. "We also observed a greater inclination to adopt a conspiracy mentality among those who vote for opposition parties because they feel they have been deprived of their personal influence and consider they have little social impact," said Professor Roland Imhoff of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), who coordinated the surveys. The two surveys constitute the largest investigation of the subject of conspiracy mentality conducted to date, both in terms of their size with around 100,000 responders and the fact that they were undertaken in 26 different countries.