Why QAnon followers believe: The psychology of embracing far-right conspiracy theories

You have likely heard of latest right-wing conspiracy theory “QAnon” by now since it has hit the mainstream media. In 2017, a group of researchers including Douglas at the University of Kent published a paper titled “The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories,” in which they suggested conspiracy theories are driven by three factors: epistemic, existential and social. People have a higher tendency to believe in conspiracy theories if they feel uncertain and are motivated to find meaning or patterns in their environment,” Aleksandra Cichocka, another one of the authors and a Senior Lecturer in Political Psychology School of Psychology at the University of Kent told Salon in an email. Indeed, the popularity of conspiracy theories aren’t linked to a specific group, but rather to “extremists.” A 2014 study by University of Chicago political science professors Eric Oliver and Thomas Wood found that each year they surveyed samples of the population, half of Americans believed in a conspiracy theory. “It could that extremists on both sides are drawn to conspiracy theories, especially if they feel marginalised or disadvantaged,” she said.