Conspiracy theories are thriving in California, Texas, Alabama and New York this election year.
But there’s another US state where fringe ideas are even closer to the mainstream, research shows.
A national survey of 3,000 voters found that conspiracy theories have the deepest roots in Florida.
Floridians may be prone to outlandish ideas because they spend a lot of time on social media, the researchers said.
It could also be due to the “disenfranchisement” of the state’s larger-than-average wealth gaps, they added.
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Conspiracy theories are thriving in Florida, California, Texas, Alabama and New York this election year.
The Sunshine State’s strange bent was on display in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial earlier this month.
Max Azzarello, the man who set himself on fire outside a New York courthouse and later died from his injuries, was from St. Augustine, Florida.
Azzarello posted online about everything from Covid-19 being an “economic doomsday device” to mafia-run universities.
Other theories have been circulating as the United States heads into a divisive election season.
About a fifth of Americans believe pop star Taylor Swift is part of a conspiracy to help Joe Biden win re-election in November.
Many theorists expected her to endorse Biden when she attended the Super Bowl in February to cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Nearly a quarter of American adults say the Baltimore bridge collapse last month was not an accident and attribute it to a dastardly plot, a DailyMail.com/TIPP poll showed.
Meanwhile, well-worn theories about chemtrails animated lawmakers in Tennessee this month.
Max Azzarello of St. Augustine, Florida, set himself on fire outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s historic secret trial was taking place.
Azzarello, a conspiracy theorist, had posted online about everything from Covid-19 being an “economic doomsday device” to mafia-run universities.
Republicans are bigger fans of conspiracy theories than Democrats, researchers said
They passed a Republican-led bill banning the “intentional injection, release or dispersion” of chemicals into the air.
Critics said it was a concession to right-wingers who believe in a secret government program to add toxic chemicals to the atmosphere from airplanes.
Proponents say the chemicals could sterilize people, reduce life expectancy or some form of mind control.
The survey by betting firm Oddspedia found that most conspiracy theories revolved around government meddling, which appears in about two-thirds of them.
Fears about health and medicine are found in almost half of the theories, according to the study.
About a third includes stories about secret societies and extraterrestrial life forms, he adds.
Conspiracy theories typically explain an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by a cabal of usually powerful schemers.
They are usually extravagant nonsense, but not always.
The theorists were right about the FBI being covertly investigating John Lennon.
And big tobacco companies were silent about how cigarettes were killing people for decades.
Many theorists expected Taylor Swift to endorse Biden when she attended the Super Bowl in February to cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tennessee Republicans this month passed a bill banning the “intentional injection, release or dispersal” of chemicals into the air.
Nearly a quarter of respondents said the Baltimore bridge fell because of a conspiracy.
Theories about the disaster emerged shortly after the Baltimore Bridge fell into the Patapsco River.
Overall, about four in five Americans adhere to at least one conspiracy theory, the survey shows.
They are especially popular among Republicans: 35 percent of Republican voters are classified as “strong to moderate” believers.
That compares to just 14 percent of Democrats.
Respondents often find theories on social media, especially Facebook and X/Twitter, they said.
90 percent of voters said theories can influence perceptions of candidates in this year’s election.
Another 57 percent said they were transmitted by people living abroad.
They are likely to play a role in the November race between Trump, a Republican, and Biden, a Democrat, researchers said.
Another candidate, independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr, has boasted of his own conspiratorial ideas about Covid-19 and mass shootings.
They have “established themselves as a notable element of American political discourse,” the researchers said in a statement.
“Our research reveals a landscape in which both politicians and social media platforms contribute to the spread of these theories, blurring the line between intentional and unintentional actions.”