Florida has its own unique culture of conspiracy theories
As we approach another election season, we should be reminded that Florida is one of the most important states in the United States. Florida is large, both in terms of population and geography, and is economically powerful. Even more important, Florida is politically powerful: How Florida goes determines who enters the White House or which party controls the Senate. Because Florida is a divided “swing state,” it could swing towards the Republicans or Democrats in any election. With the importance of Florida voters in mind, we decided to run a public opinion poll to see what views Floridians held. More specifically, because elections depend on an informed and rational electorate to make sound decisions, we wanted to see just where Florida stood on controversial ideas like conspiracy theories.
Conspiracy theories have been particularly prevalent in our politics. Whether they accusing President Trump of colluding with Russia, scapegoating the “deepstate” for thwarting Trump’s presidency, or accusing Hillary Clinton of Satanism, these ideas have captured the nation’s attention. Some of these conspiracy theories in the news might seem crazy, but national polls show that large portions of the country believe in them. With this in mind, we wanted to see which Florida-specific conspiracy theories were most popular with Floridians.
We sent an online survey to a representative sample of 2,085 Floridians from Aug 8-21. Our respondents were asked to agree or disagree with a series of conspiracy theories.
Given that Florida is often ground zero for hurricanes, we asked our respondents if they believed that catastrophic weather events like hurricanes are controlled by the government. Fourteen percent agreed and 18 percent weren’t sure. Weather control of this kind is just not possible, but significant number of Floridians seem to blame the government for acts of Mother Nature. Because Florida is one of America’s focal points of immigration, and because immigration is such an important topic in the United States, we asked respondents if they agreed that the government hides the true cost of immigration to taxpayers and society. A whopping 40 percent of Floridians agreed, and 36 percent weren’t sure. This suggests that Florida, despite having a long and positive history of immigration, does not trust the government’s handling of it. This lack of trust is again apparent when we asked Floridians if they agreed that the government played a large role in perpetuating the cocaine market. Thirty-one percent agreed, and there is unfortunately good evidence that they might be correct.
When asked if one of Florida’s most controversial episodes – the 2000 presidential election between Al Gore and George W. Bush – was rigged, 29 percent agreed and 36 percent weren’t sure. Because of the malicious conspiracy theories that were spread after the Parkland School and Orlando Pulse shootings, we asked respondents if they agreed that mass shootings, like the ones at Parkland and Orlando, are hoaxes designed to take away our guns. While almost 70 percent disagreed, 15 percent agreed and 17 percent weren’t sure. Given the horrific events these shooting have had on our communities, it seems bizarre that so many Floridians would deny the truthfulness of such events.
To see where Floridians stood on the more “goofy” conspiracy theories, we asked if they agreed or disagreed that Fidel Castro played a role in the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy. While the Warren Commission ruled that JFK’s assassination was committed by a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, 24 percent believed that Fidel Castro was involved, and 43 percent weren’t sure. Only 33 percent of Floridians ruled Castro out as a co-conspirator.
Finally we asked Floridians if they agreed that “after his death, Walt Disney’s body was frozen and is kept in Disney World.” Seventeen percent of Floridians agreed that Walt is on ice somewhere in the park, and 41 percent were unsure.
Polls show that conspiracy theories are popular everywhere, and Florida is no exception. Most interesting is that Florida seems to have its own culture of conspiracy theories, stemming from its unique political and economic importance, and from its past history. With this said, there is no substitute for good information from trustworthy sources, and Floridians should take care not to believe in the fakes.