Moonbats, Wingnuts, and the Sustaining Influence of Conspiracy Theories in American Government and Politics: A Case Study of Voter Preferences the 2024 Elections
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
Notions of “conspiracy” have been common themes of inquiry in American political scholarship since the late 19th century. The Burr conspiracy, the Slave Power conspiracy, and conspiracies of presidential assassinations are just a few examples of conspiracies that have provided material for such investigations. The work of Richard Hofstadter (The Age of Reform, The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Other Essays, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life) broadened the concept and commenced modern scholarship that, in part, examines the minds of the American people with regard to their belief in events and movements tied to such conspiracies. Since 2000, lingering doubts over election equipment and systems, bolstered by chronic disinformation pervasive over the social media landscape, modern conspiracy theories have blossomed. Our intent for this study is to analyze survey data collected from the 2024 Cooperative Election Study (CES) using qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Specifically, we seek to answer three research questions: 1. How does partisanship influence the prevalence of various conspiracy theories articulated by voters in the 2024 election? 2. What media sources (traditional and non-traditional) lead voters to adopt election-related conspiracy beliefs? 3. Do we see a relationship in beliefs about specific conspiracy theories and stated perceptions of what constitutes election fraud?
