Which groups of Americans believe conspiracy theories about Ukraine and Russia? | YouGov

As the war in Ukraine has escalated in recent weeks, conspiracy theories related to the conflict (and promoted by the Russian government) have become widespread on social media. The latest Economist/YouGov Poll asked Americans their opinions on a number of these theories and found that belief in them is closely related to how people view Russia and Ukraine, as well as the types of media they consume and find trustworthy.

One theory alleges that the United States has been funding biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine. While there are biological laboratories in Ukraine that have been backed by the United States, these institutions are aimed at preventing the production of biological weapons, according to the U.S. and Ukraine governments. Some in the U.S. media have misleadingly cited statements from American officials as evidence that the labs are producing biological weapons. Our survey finds that roughly one-quarter of Americans think this theory is probably or definitely true, including 32% of Republicans and 20% of Democrats.

Two other theories promoted by the Russian government — that Ukraine is staging attacks and blaming them on Russia and that many top Ukrainian officials are Nazis or Nazi-sympathizers – are somewhat less credible to Americans. While most adults say these claims are false, 17% say each of these theories is probably or definitely true.