Conspiracy theories: What are the most popular and why do they spread?

Why do young people spread conspiracy theories?

School staff said they thought over half of pupils (55%) brought up conspiracy theories because they were curious about them, while 32% of pupils talked about them because they wanted to find out more information.

Some also felt that pupils brought up conspiracy theories to cause controversy (44%), while just over a fifth (22%) said they used them to upset their classmates.

More than half of pupils (52%) said that there was at least one conspiracy theory that, if one of their friends believed, they would struggle to stay friends with them. Holocaust denial was the most common conspiracy theory mentioned here (by 21% of pupils), followed by believing the earth is flat (21%).

People sometimes spread conspiracy theories because it makes them feel like they are ‘in-the-know’ on something that other people won’t know about.

Yet many of these theories aren’t based on the finest of logic, so whenever you read something online, it’s always important to think critically and check your sources.

Don’t believe everything you see, hear or read, and make sure to use reliable sources to help verify the things you’ve seen on the internet.