CONSPIRACY THEORIESTerrorism Conspiracy Theories Among the U.K. Public
The vast majority of the public accept the reality of terrorist attacks in the U.K.– but notable minorities say they struggle to know what to believe or think we don’t have the full picture. A hardcore minority of one in 11 people can be classed as strong believers in conspiracy theories.
Notable minorities of the UK public say they believe conspiracy theories about terror attacks including the Manchester Arena bombing, the 7/7 attacks in London, 9/11, and school shootings in the US, with belief particularly high among younger people and those who get much of their news from social media and messaging platforms, according to new research.
The study — Truth Under Attack? Belief in Terrorism Conspiracy Theories Among the U.K. Public —was carried out by the Policy Institute at King’s College London for BBC Panorama and BBC Radio 4 podcasts, using data collected by Savanta ComRes. It reveals that while the vast majority – four in five people (80%) – believe serious terrorist attacks have taken place in the UK in recent years, a third (35%) say they don’t think the official story has told us the whole truth, and one in five (19%) goes as far as saying they think the victims of terror attacks in the UK are not being truthful about what happened to them.
These doubts extend to beliefs about specific attacks, elements of which are questioned by a minority of the public:
· One in seven (14%) say it’s definitely or probably true that the Manchester Arena bombing involved “crisis actors” who pretended to be injured or killed – but that people weren’t really injured or killed.
· One in eight (13%) say it’s definitely or probably true that the 7/7 attacks in London were probably a hoax.
· One in six (17%) believe it’s definitely or probably the case that attacks such as the Manchester Arena bombing and the 7/7 attacks in London did happen, but they were not carried out by terrorists.
Belief is even higher when it comes to the suggestion that information about these attacks is being suppressed:
· A quarter (26%) of the public say it’s definitely or probably true that the mainstream media and government officials are involved in a conspiracy to cover up important information about the attack at Manchester Arena.
· A similar proportion – 29% – think the real truth about the attack on 7/7 in London is being kept from the public.
