High Knowledge, Low Trust: Why Conservatives and Liberals Differ on Conspiracies

Conspiracy beliefs shape political discourse, yet their individual-level drivers remain unclear. This study examines conspiratorial predispositions through a motivational lens, arguing that belief serves psychological needs alongside ideological ones.

Drawing from existing literature, we identify two key moderating factors: high political knowledge and low trust levels. These traits combine to increase susceptibility among politically knowledgeable citizens lacking institutional confidence.

Specifically, we find:

• Highly knowledgeable individuals are most prone to conspiratorial thinking when distrusting institutions
• Political ideology shapes these vulnerabilities differently across the partisan divide
• Conservative and liberal pathways toward conspiracy endorsement diverge significantly

Our analysis of survey data reveals nuanced differences in how partisans respond politically when they distrust government explanations.