Nearly 3 in 10 Republicans believe central tenet of QAnon conspiracy, survey finds

[Behind the Aegis]

Nearly three in 10 Republicans believe the claim driving the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to a survey released last week by a conservative think tank.

According to the survey by the American Enterprise Institute, 29% of Republicans believe the baseless claim that former President “Donald Trump has been secretly fighting a group of child sex traffickers that include prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites.” That’s the idea at the center of the false QAnon conspiracy theory, which has gained millions of supporters across the United States and was praised repeatedly by Trump.

The conspiracy theory has also been endorsed in the past by two Republican congresswomen, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, though both have since disavowed it.

QAnon, scholars say, is rooted in age-old anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that falsely allege that Jews abduct and abuse children for ritual purposes, and that a shadowy cabal of Jewish elites secretly controls the world.

more...

Raise your hand if you are shocked?

Anyone? Anyone?

No. Me neither.

[PSPS]

1. So, 3% of maybe 30% or 9% of people -- about the same as profess belief in the earth being flat

[Iris]

2. Yes - I see this and think of the diehard Rs who will never not support a Republican president

It's always about 30%

(Please excuse the double negative!)

[Hortensis]

6. Yup. I was doing numbers too. It helps establish some perspective.

[central scrutinizer]

9. Using your 9% number and assuming independent events

There’s a 67% probability of having at least one of these deluded fools on a 12 person jury. That will comfort the Oaf Creepers and Incel Boys awaiting trial for the insurrection.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. It's 25%

People who self-identifying as Rs are 25% not 30. So, your math would yield an even lower number!
Pew did a poll about a year ago the showed 25%R, 34%D, 41% indie or non-declared.
The open question is what % of that 41% buys into this junk.
Then we'd have a clearer picture of how broad this is.
If indies were also at 30%, we'd get nearly 20% of the voting public.
I hope it's a lower fraction of that 41%.

[Hortensis]

3. Already done scary-freaky over what's been happening on the right.

This seems to be an era of special craziness on the march, but these are the same people who do most of the crazy in any era, and that QAnon's their current pathology highlights them for everyone else.

Fwiw, 29% of registered Republicans would be somewhat over 8% of the registered voters, and even a lower % of the total electorate.

(Given 206 million registered voters, say 29% were registered Republican (a Pew figure from last year, as opposed to the common "25% of Americans" ), then 29% of that would be 17,324,600, which is 8.25% of 206,000,000. I think that's right, but it is 3 a.m.)

What this doesn't count is the numbers QAnon has drawn from the left's lunatic fringe, but at least they'll be much fewer. And they're all the Republican Party's special problem right now.

Btw, I've been dropping in now and then at the QAnon Casualities subreddit, and this is a tragedy for many families. QNuts seem normal most of the time, they're still going to work and feeding their children, but they see all nonbelievers as part of a great evil and turn on them. Apparently many become abusive, and of course families are being torn apart.

[lapfog_1]

4. Projection mixed with pure Anti-Semitism

In 2008 I thought I was ready for a change of pace from my silicon valley lifestyle ( 60 to 80 hour work weeks, always a lot of pressure, etc )

I moved to Arizona to help my brother in law with his mining operation. Not that I know anything about mining.

Anyway, I got to know my 12 year old niece... she was living with my sister and brother in law ( actually my grand niece). As an under employed tech worker with math and computer science background... I became her personal tutor and shuttled her to after school activities.


I got to know her and her circle of girlfriends...

and their parents...

And out of maybe 6 little girls... at least 3 were victims of child sex abuse. How do I know? Their parents were eager to tell me. One little girl, on a sleep over with my niece... made an overt play to get my brother in law to engage in something with her (she was not invited over again). Not having any interaction with children other than my sisters children... and then only sporadic visits... I was shocked at all of the pedophilia I heard about.

That, plus the absolute hatred for the perceived more successful people from California... my tires were slashed and my car keyed... all because I had California plates and visited the local Walmart (almost the only store left).

I'm sure that many people there all believe that liberals in California and the east coast, are all pedophiles.. and it's a short hop from there to think that there are ritual child murders and blood drinking or whatever weird fantasies infect their brains.

[Botany]

5. And Russia/Vlad is pushing that Q-crap in order to destablize America

n/t

[not fooled]

7. Well, if they're stupid enough to be Republicans...

...they're stupid enough to believe QAnon.

[William Seger]

8. By definition, conspiracy theorists are people who lack ordinary critical thinking skills

So, no, a huge overlap between them and Trumpers is not shocking.

[Chainfire]

10. "Luke, what we have heah is a failure, to educate."