Why do people believe conspiracy theories?
Rachel Brazil looks into the dangerous world of chemical conspiracy theories and asks the experts what we can do about it
In the age of Covid-19, conspiracy theories are all around us. Some say the virus was created in a lab, others blame symptoms on 5G technology and some even say the virus doesn’t exist at all. But conspiracy theories are not new.
A major focus of many conspiracy theories is the chemicals in our water, food and in the air we breathe. One of the most recent is the ‘chemtrails’ theory – the idea that governments are releasing chemicals into the environment via aircraft to control the population. This may seem laughable but recent surveys show a sizeable proportion of the public are open to believing this and other conspiracies, in some cases, with serious consequences.
Understanding how these ideas formulate and transmit is becoming a priority for psychologists, but what role scientists themselves can play in debunking these theories is still unclear.