



Raleigh, N.C. –

PPP’s latest national poll finds the American public differing along party

lines on many conspiracy theories involving issues like global warming and the

Iraq War, although some of the more bizarre ideas merit bipartisan skepticism.

The poll finds 28% of voters believe that a secretive power elite with a

globalist agenda is conspiring to eventually rule the world through an

authoritarian world government, or New World Order. 34% of Republicans and 35%

of independents believe in the New World Order threat compared to just 15% of

Democrats.

44% of voters believe the Bush administration intentionally misled the

public about weapons of mass destruction to promote the Iraq War, while 45%

disagree. 72% of Democrats believed the statement while 73% of Republicans did not.

22% of Democrats, 33% of Republicans and 28% of independents believe Saddam

Hussein was involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Just 6% of voters think

Osama bin Laden is still alive.

There is an intense partisan divide on whether or not global warming is a

hoax: 58% of Republicans agree that it is a conspiracy, while 77% of Democrats

disagree. 20% of Republicans believe that President Obama is the Anti-Christ,

compared to 13% of independents and 6% of Democrats who agree. 51% of Americans

believe there was a larger conspiracy at work in the JFK assassination, while

25% think Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. 29% believe aliens exist and 21%

believe a UFO crashed at Roswell in 1947.

“Even crazy conspiracy theories are subject to partisan polarization,

especially when there are political overtones involved,” said Dean Debnam,

President of Public Policy Polling. “But most Americans reject the wackier

ideas out there about fake moon landings and shape-shifting lizards.”

5% of respondents believe that Paul McCartney died and was secretly replaced

in the Beatles in 1966, and just 4% believe shape-shifting reptilian people

control our world by taking on human form and gaining power. 7% of voters think

the moon landing was fake.

PPP surveyed 1,247 registered American voters from March

27th to 30th. The margin of error for the overall sample is

+/-2.8%. This poll was not paid for or authorized by any

campaign or political organization. PPP surveys are conducted through automated

telephone interviews.

Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you believe global warming is a hoax, or

not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 37%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 51%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%

Q2 Do you believe Osama bin Laden is still alive,

or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 6%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 83%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%

Q3 Do you believe a UFO crashed at Roswell,

New Mexico, in 1947, and the US government

covered it up, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 21%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 47%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 32%

Q4 Do you believe that a secretive power elite with

a globalist agenda is conspiring to eventually

rule the world through an authoritarian world

government, or New World Order, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 28%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 46%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 25%

Q5 Do you believe Saddam Hussein was involved

in the September 11th, 2001, attacks on

America, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 28%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 51%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%

Q6 Do you believe there is a link between

childhood vaccines and autism, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 20%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 46%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 34%

Q7 Do you believe the moon landing was faked, or

not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 7%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 84%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%

Q8 Do you believe President Barack Obama is the

anti-Christ, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 13%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 73%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 13%

Q9 Do you believe the Bush administration

intentionally misled the public about the

possibility of weapons of mass destruction in

Iraq to promote the Iraq War, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 44%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 45%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%

Q10 Do you believe aliens exist, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 29%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 47%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 24%

Q11 Do you believe the CIA was instrumental in

distributing crack cocaine into America’s inner

cities in the 1980s, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 14%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 55%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 30%

Q12 Do you believe the government adds fluoride to

our water supply, not for dental health reasons,

but for other, more sinister reasons, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 9%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 74%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 17%

Q13 Do you believe that shape-shifting reptilian

people control our world by taking on human

form and gaining political power to manipulate

our societies, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 4%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 88%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 7%

Q14 Do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted

alone in killing President Kennedy, or was

there some larger conspiracy at work?

Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone ………………… 25%

There was some larger conspiracy at work….. 51%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 24%

Q15 Do you believe in Bigfoot or Sasquatch, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 14%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 72%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%

Q16 Do you believe media or the government adds

secret mind-controlling technology to television

broadcast signals, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 15%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 70%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%

Q17 Do you believe that the exhaust seen in the sky

behind airplanes is actually chemicals sprayed

by the government for sinister reasons, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 5%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 87%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 8%

Q18 Do you believe that the pharmaceutical

industry is in league with the medical industry

to “invent” new diseases in order to make

money, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 15%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 69%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 16%

Q19 Do you believe Paul McCartney actually died in

a car crash in 1966 and was secretly replaced

by a lookalike so The Beatles could continue,

or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 5%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 80%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%

Q20 Do you believe the United States government

knowingly allowed the attacks on September

11th, 2001, to happen, or not?

Do …………………………………………………………. 11%

Do not ……………………………………………………. 78%

Not sure …………………………………………………. 11%

Q21 In the last presidential election, did you vote for

Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?

Barack Obama………………………………………… 50%

Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 44%

Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 6%

Q22 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,

somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat

conservative, or very conservative?

Very liberal ……………………………………………… 11%

Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 16%

Moderate………………………………………………… 31%

Somewhat conservative……………………………. 23%

Very conservative ……………………………………. 19%

Q23 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.

Woman ………………………………………………….. 50%

Man……………………………………………………….. 50%

Q24 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,

press 2. If you are an independent or identify

with another party, press 3.

Democrat ……………………………………………….. 38%

Republican……………………………………………… 34%

Independent/Other…………………………………… 28%

Q25 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.

If African-American, press 3. If other, press 4.

Hispanic…………………………………………………. 11%

White …………………………………………………….. 72%

African-American …………………………………….. 12%

Other……………………………………………………… 5%

Q26 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to

45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are

older than 65, press 4.

18 to 29………………………………………………….. 15%

30 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%

46 to 65………………………………………………….. 45%

Older than 65………………………………………….. 20%