[kodyo]

When people lose faith in the people who are supposed to be telling the truth, they look for other things to fill the gap. The media is unreliable to say the least, government is compromised and corrupt, the academy is both self-serving and "woke." Why wouldn't alternative explanations for things seem appealing at this point?

[luckylion]

Especially when those alternative explanations are exciting (Spies everywhere!) and simple ("Oh, so that's why!") instead of boring, vague, complex, and nuanced.

I believe there's also a fair bit of package-deals. If you believe in one thing, you trust people more who also believe in that thing ("they see the world as it really is"). If they also believe in something else, that's a strong vote for that other thing.