Source: Abacus Data, Research & Insights
Abacus recently completed nationwide surveying among 1500 Canadians to understand their trust in institutional sources of information as well as their beliefs in many widespread conspiracy theories. CA members may find the results of interest! Here’s what they found:
- 44% (the equivalent of 13 million adults) believe “big events like wars, recessions and the outcomes of elections are controlled by small groups of people working in secret against us”. Almost as many agree “much of our lives are being controlled by plots hatched in secret places.
- 37% (or 11 million) think “there is a group of people in this country who are trying to replace native born Canadians with immigrants who agree with their political views”. This is an articulation of what is commonly referred to as replacement theory.
- 19% (the equivalent of 5.6 million adults) believe “Covid vaccines have killed many people which has been covered up”. Another 25% think it’s possible or aren’t sure.
- 11% (or 3.3 million) think “Covid vaccines include secret chips designed to monitor and control behaviour”. Another 14% think it’s possible or aren’t sure.
But why do people believe in conspiracy theories? Well, as it turns out, anxious people are especially drawn to conspiratorial thinking, experiments show, and the mindset can also be triggered by a loss of control. We’re linking to an article from Scientific American which explores the factors that draw people to conspiracy theories.
The full reports can be accessed at Abacus Data, Research & Insights Newsletter
