Conspiratorial Thinking and Its Relationship with Political Violence in the United States

Presenter

Michaela Zaria Jude Gunning

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Frederic Schaffer, Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 3, 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A32, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Political violence in the United States has become an increasingly worrisome threat to democracy since the January 6th insurrection. Some posit that political violence is not a cause for concern as it spurs from extremist fringe groups, but the demographics of those who attended the January 6th insurrection demonstrate that political violence may be tolerated by individuals who are more representative of the American electorate. Political violence has many causes, including higher levels of aggression and moral disengagement, but there is little research on whether conspiratorial thinking is a likely predictor of political violence. Much literature has focused on how individuals have come to believe in conspiracy theories, but not on the effects of conspiratorial thinking on political behavior. By completing a cross-analysis of survey data asking individuals whether they believe in conspiracy theories and whether they would support engaging in political violence, I conclude that individuals who hold higher levels of support for conspiratorial thinking have higher levels of support for political violence as compared with their non-conspiratorial thinking counterparts. I also completed a qualitative analysis of the testimonies given by violent individuals convicted following the events on January 6th and found that many of their testimonies cite a false belief in fraud in the 2020 presidential election as a motivating factor for their engagement in violence. These results demonstrate the strong impact that conspiratorial thinking can have on violent behaviors that disrupt our democratic norms.

Keywords

Radicalization, Political Psychology, Public Opinion, Democracy

Research Area

Political Science and Government

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