I've always thought that people believe in conspiracy theories mostly because their lives are unstable or out of control. Financial safety nets would likely solve a lot of the underlying fear.
I don't think that is the case. I think it is more a matter of frequency of exposure and less exposure to material to counter the conspiracies.
Most people are at least somewhat intrigued by various conspiracy theories. This has long been the case.
We had these things when I was a kid, for example. Erik von Daniken's book "Chariots of the Gods" was a bestseller. Art Bell's radio long running conspiracy/paranormal national radio programs were quite popular.
I found some of it interesting. I read von Daniken's book. I regularly bought "Fate" magazine. I don't think I listened to Bell often because he was on after my bedtime.
But after I read a book like von Daniken's, or read the new issue of "Fate", or if I had stayed up late and heard Bell's show...I had months before I'd find another similar book, a month before the next "Fate", and at least a day before the next Bell broadcast.
In the time before my next dose of conspiracy/paranormal/supernatural material, I was reading the newspaper, "Scientific American", "Popular Science", watching "Nova" on PBS, and reading science books from the library including ones that touched on the real explanations for some of the things I saw in the conspiracy/paranormal literature.
In this environment, the conspiracy stuff for most of us ended up at most a hobby or as entertainment. Unless you deliberately set out to make it so, it was hard for it to become more than that.
Compare to now. Now, once you show some interest, social media figures that out and will shift your feed to contain more and more of the conspiracy stuff until your whole feed is mostly conspiracy items. Now you almost have to deliberately work to not end up seriously believing at least some conspiracy theories.
God, Art Bell! It used to be pretty amusing, back when The X-Files was in its original run.. but if it existed over the past 4 years it would be downright terrifying.
I believe there's also a neurological basis as well. It's been shown that belief in superstition is predicted by dopamime levels in the brain. Likely same for conspiracy theory belief. Elevated dopamine levels leading people to perceive patterns where they don't exist.
Most people are at least somewhat intrigued by various conspiracy theories. This has long been the case.
We had these things when I was a kid, for example. Erik von Daniken's book "Chariots of the Gods" was a bestseller. Art Bell's radio long running conspiracy/paranormal national radio programs were quite popular.
I found some of it interesting. I read von Daniken's book. I regularly bought "Fate" magazine. I don't think I listened to Bell often because he was on after my bedtime.
But after I read a book like von Daniken's, or read the new issue of "Fate", or if I had stayed up late and heard Bell's show...I had months before I'd find another similar book, a month before the next "Fate", and at least a day before the next Bell broadcast.
In the time before my next dose of conspiracy/paranormal/supernatural material, I was reading the newspaper, "Scientific American", "Popular Science", watching "Nova" on PBS, and reading science books from the library including ones that touched on the real explanations for some of the things I saw in the conspiracy/paranormal literature.
In this environment, the conspiracy stuff for most of us ended up at most a hobby or as entertainment. Unless you deliberately set out to make it so, it was hard for it to become more than that.
Compare to now. Now, once you show some interest, social media figures that out and will shift your feed to contain more and more of the conspiracy stuff until your whole feed is mostly conspiracy items. Now you almost have to deliberately work to not end up seriously believing at least some conspiracy theories.