Florida tops list for conspiracy believers
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – That a St. Augustine, Florida, resident set himself ablaze outside the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump is on trial was shocking. But that the individual, Max Azzarello, turned out to be a Floridian who appeared to believe conspiracy theories, as police and media reports said, is far less surprising.
A study released in March cited the state as tops in the country for conspiracy theorists and believers. The report by Oddspedia, a sports-betting and data-tools website, listed Florida as America’s No. 1 conspiracy theory “hot spot,” while the Sunshine State’s residents “ranked as the second-most gullible.” Florida also landed as fifthmost skeptical, as in questioning or doubting accepted ideas, beliefs or claims.
Given the tensions and passions around the 2024 presidential election and the former president’s court proceedings, conspiracy theorizing in Florida is in overdrive. But a spokesperson for Oddspedia said the analytics review reveals more deep-seeded reasons.
“Florida’s status as the No. 1 state for conspiracy theorists can be attributed to not just its politics, though that obviously plays a pivotal role,” said Shing Mon Chung via an email.
The Oddspedia research noted that while just over a third of Republicans (35%) surveyed expressed “significant ormoderatebelief”inunproventheories, so did 20% of those not registered with a party and 14% of Democrats.
In the Oddspedia report, a seemingly equal mix of red and blue states lined up right behind Florida with California, Texas, Alabama, and New York rounding out the top five.
Support for political figures with unconventional views also defied easy explanation.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been associated with the left wing of
the Democratic Party throughout his political career, is largely known in political circles for espousing antivaccination beliefs and skepticism. A poll by Florida Atlantic University and Mainstreet Research released April 18 found RFK Jr. with 7% of support in crimson Florida.
Conspiracy theories about government top list
Fodder for conspiracy theories comes from all corners, but the Oddspedia study honed in on five topics in particular. The most widely cited ones, the survey said, revolved around purported government coverups and covert operations.
Chung said historical episodes, such as the Watergate scandal, the CIA assassination plots revealed in 1970s congressional investigations and even the Ronald Reagan-era Iran-Contra affair “exposed genuine cases” in which the U.S. government “engaged in secretive or unethical,” as well as illegal, practices.
Today, Chung added that trust in government and institutions has fallen due to high-profile scandals and instances of perceived government misconduct.
She cited a Pew Research Center study showing faith in the “political system is at record lows, with 65% of respondents admitting they often or always feel exhausted when thinking about politics.” This erosion of trust, she said, makes people more vulnerable to conspiracy theories as they become increasingly doubtful of official narratives and question government motives.
“These episodes provided undeniable evidence that government officials could, and sometimes did, conspire in secrecy, stoking public skepticism,” she said. “When people see verified conspiracies, they become more prone to believing that other conspiracies might be true as well.”
The Trump effect on conspiracy theories
The report didn’t pin the spiral in conspiracy theories on Trump. But it included a discussion on the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Oddspedia noted Trump “has a well-documented history with conspiracy theories” dating to the socalled birther movement, based on the unfounded allegation that then-President Barack Obama was not a natural-born citizen and sought to cast doubt on his Hawaii-issued birth certificate. Critics have also pointed out Trump has lent support, if not provided a megaphone, to all sorts of political actors espousing various conspiracies.
Trump has also been the main proponent of the unproven claims the 2020 presidential election was rife with massive fraud, an accusation that is still held by his MAGA movement and many within the Republican Party.
This year, conservative media and right-wing voices touted purported political machinations between President Joe Biden’s campaign, megastar Taylor Swift and the pop singer’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player, Travis Kelce, before Super Bowl LVIII, which the Chiefs won. The allegations included one that Swift was a secret “psyop,” a psychological operative, for the Defense Department.
Oddspedia noted how Biden mocked the wild speculation on social media with a post-Super Bowl comment on X reading: “Just like we drew up.”
Election theft ‘lies’ far more damaging
Hand-wringing over Swift conspiracies is fodder for banter, but the attacks on the country’s electoral systems, voting experts say, is serious and dangerous.
David Becker, executive director at the Center for Elections Innovation and Research, has argued that Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud hover over the 2024 election year.
“Those false beliefs remain. They’re strong,” he said in an interview earlier this year with the Beach Post. “And we’re going to have to continue to push back against them with correct information. But we also have to be ready for the strong possibility the losing candidate in 2024 will claim election fraud.”
Becker noted that for all of Trump’s hyperbole and outrage over the past three years, there “still has not been a single shred of evidence presented to a court and subjected to scrutiny and cross-examination” to justify even a modicum of theft.
Nonetheless, he said the unfounded claims of massive fraud in the 2020 presidential election has left an ugly and damaging legacy.