Alien Agendas: A Comparative Analysis of Conspiracy Theories Across Western States

Abstract

Conspiracy theories have been a topic of interest among academic and non-academic literature for decades. As of recently, the political implications of public conspiracism has begun to be taken seriously. Political science literature in the past has viewed conspiracy theories with a US-centric lens, with little focus on how conspiracy theories manifest in other states. Further, there has been a lack of communication and collaboration across disciplines, resulting in disjointed and ad hoc narratives for public conspiracy belief. The aim of this study was to explore how conspiracy theories manifest differently across western states and draw together literature from a variety of disciplines, such as political science, psychology, and sociology. 144,000 conspiracy theories across fora in the US, Australia, Canada, and England were explored and compared. Across the fora, themes were established and then analysed from three different perspectives; cultural determinism, group-dynamics, and external influences. It was found that there are important similarities between states regarding how conspiracy theories manifest, such as a broad anti-establishment narrative. It was also found that there are thematic differences between the states, such as the role of the state and unique historical influences which may have serious impacts upon the effectiveness of political intervention. It was concluded that research into non-US states is an important avenue for developing a more reliable and nuanced narrative of conspiracy belief, as well as for developing an understanding of state-specific challenges and approaches to conspiracism.