Majority Of Republicans Believe The QAnon Conspiracy Theory Is Partly Or Mostly True, Survey Finds
TOPLINE
Some 56% of Republicans believe that QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory, is mostly or partly true, according to a new Daily Kos/Civiqs poll released Wednesday, a remarkably high number considering many of the outlandish assertions espoused by QAnon supporters.
Holding his Q sign aloft, a disciple waits in line with others to enter a campaign rally for … [+]
Matt Rourke/ASSOCIATED PRESS
KEY FACTS
One in three Republicans (33%) say they believe the QAnon theory about a conspiracy among deep-state elites is “mostly true,” and another 23% say “some parts” are true.
Only 4% of Democrats think the theory is even partly true, according to the Daily Kos/Civiqs poll, with 72% of Dems responding that the QAnon conspiracy is “not true at all.”
QAnon supporters claim President Trump is defending the planet from a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles (consisting mostly of Hollywood celebrities, liberal politicians and “deep-state” government officials) who are running a secret child sex-trafficking ring.
The FBI has identified QAnon conspiracy theorists as “extremists” who pose a potential domestic terror threat.
President Trump drew criticism late last month after he declined to denounce QAnon, with the president claiming they “love America” and stating, “I understand that they like me very much, which I appreciate.”
The Daily Kos/Civiqs poll published Wednesday surveyed 1,368 adults in the United States from August 29 to September 1.
Key Background:
The QAnon conspiracy theory is believed to have started on the anonymous message-board platform 4chan in 2017. Since its inception, Q has adopted aspects of many other conspiracies, including claims related to the 9/11 “truther” movement and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. President Trump has previously retweeted four congressional candidates who have promoted QAnon, helping them rack up hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter, Forbes reported in late August. Forbes has also confirmed that 15 candidates running in 2020 and verified by Twitter have actively supported the theory on Twitter. Following Trump’s failure to censure QAnon after being asked directly by reporters, Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski and Republican Rep. Denver Riggleman introduced a bipartisan resolution in the U.S. House last week, condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes. “Our aim is a fully bipartisan congressional repudiation of this dangerous, anti-Semitic, conspiracy-mongering cult that the FBI says is radicalizing Americans to violence,” said Malinowski.
Tangent:
According to NBC News, a recent internal investigation by Facebook determined that QAnon had millions of members and followers on the social platform, and the Wall Street Journal reported that membership in ten large Facebook groups devoted to QAnon had grown by more than 600% since the start of Covid-related lockdowns. In late August, Facebook announced it removed over 790 groups, 100 pages and 1,500 ads connected to QAnon, while also restricting over 10,000 accounts on Instagram.
Critical Quote:
“QAnon and the conspiracy theories it promotes are a danger and a threat that has no place in our country’s politics,” said Rep. Riggleman (R-VA.). “I condemn this movement and urge all Americans to join me in taking this step to exclude them and other extreme conspiracy theories from the national discourse.”
Further Reading:
Bipartisan Lawmakers Introduce House Resolution Condemning QAnon’ Cult’ (Forbes)
Facebook Continues To Allow Political Ads Touting QAnon As It Weighs Crackdown (Forbes)
Twitter Cracked Down On QAnon—But Candidates Touting The Conspiracy Still Thrive There (Forbes)
*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Forbes can be found here ***
