A survey conducted before the third anniversary of the January 6 insurrection revealed that one in four Americans hold the belief that the FBI “organized and encouraged” the US Capitol attack.
FBI Conspiracy Theory
Writing for Lawfare, former US Attorney Chuck Rosenberg put these findings into perspective. Despite these numbers, the ex-federal prosecutor sees a silver lining, suggesting that the nation should be “grateful” that this conspiracy theory is limited to only 25%.
‘Nonsense’
Rosenberg argued that while a quarter of Americans buy into the “nonsense” idea that federal law enforcement orchestrated the Capitol siege, resulting in the death of five officers and injuring many, the results of this survey seem less “depressing” when compared to other surveys on widely accepted facts.
QAnon Beliefs in America
For instance, a March 2021 poll found that 15% of Americans believe in a conspiracy involving “the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation,” a central element of the QAnon theory supported by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia).
The Appeal of Conspiracy Theories
“Americans apparently relish conspiracy theories. That is neither good nor new. But even if we turn to the physical sciences—the stuff we ostensibly learned in school—we do not do all that much better as a nation,” Rosenberg argued.
Scientific Illiteracy in America
He then highlighted the widespread scientific illiteracy in the country. For example, he cited a 2021 survey from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, which found that almost 30% of Americans didn’t know the Earth orbits the sun annually.
Failing to Grasp Astronomy
In 2015, Pew Research presented Americans with a task to differentiate between astrology and astronomy, yet more than a quarter (27%) failed to do so. Furthermore, a survey by the NSF inquired about the scientific validity of astrology and found that in 1990, 35% of participants considered astrology as “Very scientific” (6%) or “Sort of scientific” (29%).
Astrology vs. Astronomy
By 2018, this misconception increased, with 39% of respondents labeling astrology as either “Very scientific” (6%) or “Sort of scientific” (33%). Rosenberg emphasizes, “Astrology is pseudoscience. Astronomy is real science and a spectacular science, at that.”
The Sun Orbits the Earth?
A 2018 National Science Foundation survey found that 28% of Americans incorrectly hold the belief—debunked by Galileo in the 17th century—that the sun orbits the Earth.
“Are we any better as a nation when it comes to law and governance?” Rosenberg questioned, then answered, “Not really.”
Legal Literacy in America
A similar fraction of Americans display a lack of civics knowledge. In 2022, the Annenberg Public Policy Center discovered that about one-fourth of Americans couldn’t identify a single right protected by the First Amendment. Annenberg’s findings also showed that 25% of Americans could not name any of the three government branches.
Are Americans Informed Enough?
Additionally, a 2018 study by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars revealed that two-thirds of Americans would not pass the US citizenship test, which includes basic questions on US history and government structure.
A Reality Check
Rosenberg wrote, “When you step back and look at what we ‘know’ as Americans and what we do not know, this number — alarming as it may be — is not surprising. Indeed, it coincides with other data. Perhaps we should be grateful that it is only 25 percent.”
Americans Should Be ‘Grateful’
Rosenberg argues that while many Americans are citizens by birthright, they “should remember to be grateful” for the fact that many people still seek U.S. citizenship, dedicating themselves to pass a test that a large portion of American-born citizens would find challenging.
‘Alarming’ Numbers
Rosenberg reflects on the startling statistic that 25% of Americans believe the FBI was behind the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, either “definitely” or “probably.” He suggests that when considering the broader picture of American knowledge and ignorance, this percentage, while “alarming,” isn’t “surprising”
He sums up this situation with an aphorism, “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
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