Threat and insecurity from structural conditions drive heightened conspiracy thinking

Evidence

Like religion, conspiracy theories don’t just identify a common enemy, but outline a path to a better life and provide hope for the future. Numerous studies have noted that insecure and threatened populations—nonwhite people and unemployed people among them—show higher rates of conspiracy thinking. Joseph DiGrazia, then an assistant professor at York University, wrote in 2017 that “macro-level social conditions and structural social changes,” like economic instability, could create “feelings of threat and insecurity,” which, in turn, lead to higher levels of what he called “conspiratorial ideation.” — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 56

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to vault claims on authoritarianism and prejudice psychology — threat-driven outgroup perception as shared epistemic style with Christian nationalism and the vault’s authoritarian mechanisms. — connects to: Conspiracy belief functions as a coping mechanism for groups facing loss and marginalization — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 146; Economic insecurity and minority status predict higher conspiracy belief regardless of education or income — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 145; Conspiracy theories flourish during rapid social change and identity reevaluation. — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 53 (+10 more)
• QUESTION: DiGrazia 2017 — worth chasing the full study for concrete data points linking economic instability to conspiracy measures.

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy theories convert vague existential dread into manageable concrete fear #expands (0.85) — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 702
• Conspiracy surges track rigid class structure and felt disenfranchisement #exemplifies (0.85) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 33
• Conspiracy theory visibility spikes during times of social upheaval #exemplifies (0.82) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 107
• Disproportionate effect-to-cause gaps drive people toward conspiracy explanations #expands (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 116
• Conspiracy theories satisfy epistemic, existential, and social needs #expands (0.80) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 179
• Collapse of institutional trust creates a narrative power vacuum that conspiracy ideologies fill #expands (0.78) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 122
• Conspiracy belief offers psychological reassurance by making the world meaningful and purposive #expands (0.75) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 78