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| Conspiracy Theories |
According to polls, most Americans today grip that the scenario posed past times at to the lowest degree i pop conspiracy theory is rattling probable or somewhat likely.
On 25–29 June 1997, a survey was conducted of 1,009 people nationwide, alongside participants from every state as well as the District of Columbia. Guido H. Stempel III, distinguished professor of the EW Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University as well as Thomas Hargrove of the Scripps Howard News Service conducted the survey.
The results convey a 4 percent margin of error alongside a 95 percent confidence interval, pregnant that the results are projectable to all U.S. households 95 times out of 100 addition or minus 4 per centum points. At that time:
- More than one-half (51 percent) believe it is rattling probable or somewhat probable that authorities officials were “directly responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy.”
- More than one-half (60 percent) believe is probable that armed forces officials covered upward the dangers of the Agent Orange chemical.
- Four-fifths (80 percent) believe it is probable that armed forces officials are roofing upward data virtually U.S. soldiers’ exposure to nervus gas or germ warfare inward the Gulf War.
- More than one-third (40 percent) believe it is probable that the FBI burned downwards the Branch Davidian chemical compound inward Waco, Texas.
- More than one-half (52 percent) believe it is probable that the CIA allowed drug dealers from Central America to sell fissure cocaine to African Americans inward U.S. inner cities.
- More than one-third believe it is probable the navy shot downwards TWA Flight 800 either intentionally or accidentally.
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Respondents were asked if the higher upward situations were probable to about degree. The higher upward responses included the “very likely” as well as “somewhat likely” answers. Note that believing that something is “somewhat likely” may hold out the admission of possibility, non a theater belief.
JFK Assassination
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| JFK earlier assassination |
Most Americans say that to a greater extent than than i mortal was involved inward the JFK assassination. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Gallup Poll was conducted 26–28 March 2001 alongside telephone interviews of a randomly selected sample of 1,024 adults aged eighteen as well as older. The results are projectable to all U.S. households alongside a 95 percent confidence as well as 3 percent margin of error. At that time, when asked, “Do you lot retrieve that i human being was responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy, or arrive at you lot retrieve that others were involved inward a conspiracy?”—with the possible answers “one man,” “others involved” as well as “no opinion”:
Fourth-fifths (81 percent) responded that they believed that other people were involved inward a conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy, an all-time high.In the 1997 Scripps Howard News Service/Ohio University nationwide poll, the inquiry concerned non to a greater extent than than i person, only authorities officials alongside direct involvement inward the assassination of President Kennedy inward 1963. The poll discovered:
More than one-half (51 percent) of Americans believe it is rattling probable or somewhat probable that authorities officials were “directly responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy.”AIDS as well as Drugs
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| Aids |
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 sizable number of people would grip alongside at to the lowest degree i of the accusations that the authorities manufactured AIDS or made drugs available inward inner cities to assault African Americans. In a 1990 poll, reported inward the 29 Oct 1990 edition of the New York Times:
- Nearly one-third (29 percent) of dark New Yorkers indicated belief that AIDS was “deliberately created inward a laboratory inward companionship to infect dark people,” versus i inward 20 (5 percent) amid white New Yorkers.
- More than one-half (60 percent) of dark New Yorkers indicated belief that the authorities “deliberately” made drugs available to pitiable dark people, versus a petty to a greater extent than than i inward 10 (12 percent) amid white New Yorkers.
More than one-third (34 percent) of dark churchgoers polled inward 5 cities agreed “the AIDS virus was produced inward a germ warfare laboratory.”The 1997 Scripps Howard News Service/Ohio University nationwide poll discovered:
More than one-half (52 percent) of Americans believe it probable that the CIA allowed drug dealers from Central America to sell fissure cocaine to African Americans inward U.S. inner cities.Pearl Harbor
About i inward 3 Americans say that President Roosevelt knew virtually the assault on Pearl Harbor inward advance. The Gallup Organization reports that inward Dec 1941, 84 percent of Americans said the president had done “everything he should convey to forestall state of war alongside Japan,” alongside solely nine percent disagreeing.
Fifty years later, inward 1991, Gallup flora that nearly one-third of Americans (31 percent) agreed alongside the statement, “Roosevelt knew virtually Japanese plans to bomb Pearl Harbor only did null virtually it because he wanted an excuse to involve the U.S.A. on the side of the Allies inward the war,” alongside 47 percent disagreeing as well as 22 percent alongside no opinion. As an interesting side note, xix percent said they withal convey non forgiven the Japanese.
Moon Landings
The conspiracy theory that the moon landings were a mistaken is less popular. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Gallup Poll was conducted 13–14 July 1999 alongside telephone interviews of a randomly selected sample of 1,061 adults aged eighteen as well as older. The results are projectable to all U.S. households alongside a 95 percent confidence as well as a 3 percent margin of error. When asked, “Thinking virtually the infinite exploration, arrive at you lot retrieve the authorities staged or faked the Apollo Luna landing, or don’t you lot experience that way?”—with answers being, “Yes, staged,” “No,” as well as “No opinion”:
Less than i inward 10 (6 percent) believes that the landing was faked piece nearly nine inward 10 (89 percent) arrive at non believe that the lunar landing was faked or staged.Time/CNN/Yakelovich Partners, Inc., conducted a similar poll 19–20 July 1995, alongside virtually identical wording, as well as produced similar results:
Less than i inward 10 (6 percent) believes that the landing was faked piece to a greater extent than than four-fifths (83 percent) arrive at non believe that the lunar landing was faked or staged.UFOs
Many Americans say that the authorities is hiding data virtually UFOs. In the 1997 survey conducted past times Guido H. Stempel III of the EW Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University as well as Thomas Hargrove of the Scripps Howard News Service mentioned above, nearly one-half of Americans (47 percent) indicated that it is rattling probable or somewhat probable that “The U.S. Air Force is withholding proof of the existence of intelligent life from other planets.”
Another study, sponsored past times the SCI FI Channel as well as conducted 23–25 August past times RoperASW, flora that 72 percent of Americans believe the “government is non telling the populace everything it knows virtually UFO activity,” as well as 68 percent believe the “government knows to a greater extent than virtually extraterrestrial life” than it says. The study was conducted amid a instance lawsuit of 1,021 adults aged eighteen as well as over, alongside a margin of error of +3 percent.
Further, lx percent of respondents inward the RoperASW poll said the authorities “should non withhold data virtually UFO sightings,” piece 58 percent said the authorities shouldn’t conceal data virtually “potential encounters alongside extraterrestrial life.”
Trust inward Government
The higher upward RoperASW study also discussed the number of trust inward government. The same poll flora that virtually one-half of Americans (53 percent) say their “level of trust inward the authorities has remained stable over the past times 5 years,” piece 29 percent say they trust the authorities “less than they did 5 years ago.” More than one-half of Americans (55 percent) said the authorities “does non portion plenty data alongside the populace inward general.”
After the Oklahoma City bombing, a poll was conducted past times the Gallup organization that flora that 39 percent of Americans believed that the federal authorities had function also powerful as well as large as well as so was a threat to the freedoms as well as rights of average citizens.
In 2000, this number increased to 45 percent, alongside 51 percent disagreeing that the federal authorities poses such a threat. The 2000 study was conducted 7–9 Apr 2000 amid a randomly selected national sample of 1,006 adults aged eighteen as well as over, alongside a margin of error of +3 percent.
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