Social media spread conspiracy theories after Trump assassination attempt, but believing them was linked to interpersonal discussions

Conspiracy beliefs can lead to maladaptive and, in rare cases, even violent behaviors. Focusing on conspiracies about the assassination attempt on former President Trump, this report takes the rare step of differentiating exposure to conspiracy theories from belief in them. It finds that there is considerable exposure through social media. Yet, reliance on social media does not correlate with belief in conspiracy theories. Rather, interpersonal relationships play a larger role. Conspiratorial thinking and political motivations also significantly relate to holding a conspiracy belief. The results suggest that corrective interventions would face substantial communicative and psychological hurdles.