An ExplanationIf the moon landing happened over 50 years ago, why are people still talking about it today? The moon landing was a very important event in not only U.S. history, but the history of mankind. No other human had ever dreamed of it being possible to go to the moon, the idea seemed far off and impossible. There are still some people who believe it was impossible and that we actually did not land on the moon on July 20, 1969. Why people still believe this theory is exactly what we are going to answer. Along with the following;
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Why is the Moon Landing Theory Still Present Today?
Best said in the words of Roger Launius, former chief historian of Nasa, “The reality is, the internet has made it possible for people to say whatever the hell they like to a broader number of people than ever before. And the truth is, Americans love conspiracy theories. Every time something big happens, somebody has a counter-explanation,” (Godwin, 2019). The popularity of the internet has risen tremendously in the past several years and so have “spooky” conspiracy theories that challenge the human psyche, such as the moon landing conspiracy theory. There is an appeal for the impossible, and an iconic theory such as the moon landing hoax with its underlying message that the government is deceiving us, fulfilled this want. In addition, due to the popularity of these videos, both debunking and claiming that the theory is real, many of the media sources who produce these videos gain both following and money (Jennings, 2019). Last but not least, conspiracy theories are a way to keep the people engaged. President Trump, for example, uses these theories to keep this fan base and citizens on their toes (Preston, 2019). Considering who he is, even if it is a mundane theory or comment, it will attain the people’s attention. Overall, conspiracy theories are still prevalent today and they are here to stay. The how and why people believe in conspiracy theories can be explained psychologically.
3 Reasons Why People Still believe in Conspiracy theories
There are many researchers who believe that the conspiracy-like mind is one that has always been part of the human experience. Van Prooijen, a social psychologist at VU Amsterdam stated, “What we predict is that in earlier times when our ancestors were all hunter-gatherers, it was adaptive for human beings to be a little suspicious of groups that were different, or that were powerful,” (Preston, 2019). This mindset is a method of self-defense. In modern times, this defense mechanism has evolved. It is described in the research article “The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories.” There are 3 motives that explain why people continue to persist in conspiracy theories;
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1. Epistemic Motives
When information is uncertain or unavailable the human mind begins to look for alternative ways to explain the unexplainable. Conspiracy theories allow for people to have a sense of certainty and validity about the situation. People are more prone to turn to conspiracy theories when a large event occurs for which the explanation and/or reasoning behind it, is small in comparison. This is why the moon landing hoax does not seem to be surprising, it was a mass-scale event that changed the history of mankind. Unfortunately, self-validation comes at the cost of truth. The truth can be blurred and redefined by the conspiracy theories. By the same token, conspiracy theories can simply feed into one another and continue a vicious cycle of uncertainty. Research has shown that people who are presented with conspiracy theories are likely to have increased levels of uncertainty, and where there is uncertainty there is room for belief in conspiracy theories. As a whole people who are already believers of the unknown, are stressed and angst, come from low levels of education, and have low critical thinking skills are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories (Douglas, Sutton, & Cichocka, 2017, p.1).
2. Existential Motives
When people are not in control of the environment, they may feel unsafe, anxious, and desperate to find a sense of autonomy. Conspiracy theories allow for individuals who feel they are not able to control the events going on around them, to gain control of them again. The conspiracy theory mindset allows for individuals to feel a sense of safety and knowledge that brings back the feeling of independence. People most likely to turn to conspiracy belief are those who feel powerless and lack sociopolitical empowerment (Douglas, Sutton, & Cichocka, 2017, p.2).
3. Social Motives
Social motives are perhaps the most important and most influential aspect of the conspiracy mindset. Humans are social animals, as a whole they need to feel valued and part of a group who shares common interests and goals. Conspiracy theories can be promoted or created within these groups by blaming certain negative effects or events on others outside of the group. This sort of tribalism within these groups creates a collective narcissism, “a belief in the in-group’s greatness paired with a belief that other people do not appreciate it enough.” However, many argue that this collective narcissism is a consequence of the group’s sense of being alienated from others in their society. That is why people who are of low socioeconomic class and or have a low status of race/ethnicity are more likely to believe in conspiracy theories (Douglas, Sutton, & Cichocka, 2017, p.3). Members of the black, hispanic, and the LGTBTQ+ communities are strongly correlated with believing in conspiracy theories ( Goertzel, 1994).
"All of this stuff has been corralling the imagination of the American public and forcing it in a direction to not think critically, and to react instead of sitting and thinking a moment about things, and to doubt — even when you can lay a paper trail from Point A to Point B right in front of someone. They won't believe it," (Howell, 2019)
-Phil Plait, American Astronomer
Psychology & Moon LandingThough conspiracies may fulfill certain human needs, as a whole they can be detrimental to society. Simply talking about conspiracy theories, leads to uncertainty in individuals, promoting the conspiracy theory mindset. This uncertainty can cause a decrease in trust in the government. The Pew Research Center has been documenting the percentage of Americans who trust in the government for decades (See image to the right). Within this data it was found that trust in government had peaked in 1964 at 77%. Over time, this percentage has decreased dramatically, by 1976 when the moon landing hoax officially began, trust in the government was at an astounding 36%. Today the trust in government is at its lowest, being at 17%. It can’t exactly be assumed that this was due to just one theory, rather it was a series of major events that led to angst in the public, such as the combination of the Vietnam War, Watergate, JFK assassination, and economic downfall (Keneally, 2019). This angst in the public can build and lead into some of the motives previously discussed.
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Public Trust in Government Near Historic Lows (Public Trust in Government, 2019).
Click on button below, to find more information about the decrease of trust in government over the years.
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How Many People Still Believe in the Moon Landing Hoax?
There are a variety of sources that have different statistics about the amount of people who continue to believe that the moon landing was a hoax. Depending on the site or poll that you look at, the number of Americans who believe in the conspiracy theory range from 6% to 20% (Jennings, 2019).
The most interesting and analytical survey was conducted by SatelliteInternet.com in 2019. They conducted a survey on 500 Americans about their beliefs in regards to the moon landing hoax. 10% of those surveyed say that they believe in the conspiracy theory ( See bottom left image). Similarly, the results of the survey also revelead that most of the people who do not believe in the moon landing hoax were younger (Armstrong, 2019). Last but not least, in the survey they found other theories that the moon landing deniers believe in (See bottom right image).
A 1999 Gallup poll had revealed that 6% of Americans believed in the moon landing hoax. Now, over 20 years later, the percentage of Americans who believe has risen. The recorded population of the U.S. in 2019 was 382 million, and if roughly 10% of the Americans believe in the hoax, then that is about 38.2 million people (Jennings, 2019) that believe the moon landing was faked. The reason is most likely due to the large amount of media surrounding the theory since the internet hit.
References
Armstrong, R. L. (2019, July 10). New Survey Suggests 10% of Americans Believe the Moon Landing Was Fake. Retrieved from https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/moon-landing-real-survey/
Armstrong, R. L. (2019, July 10). Other theories Moon Landing Deniers Believe in [Chart]. Retrieved from https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/moon-landing-real-survey/
Armstrong, R. L. (2019, July 10). Percentage of People who believe in Moon Landing Hoax [Chart]. Retrieved from https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/moon-landing-real-survey/
Douglas, K. M., Sutton, R. M., & Cichocka, A. (2017). The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417718261
Godwin, R. (2019, July 10). One giant ... lie? Why so many people still think the moon landings were faked. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/10/one-giant-lie-why-so-many-people-still-think-the-moon-landings-were-faked
Goertzel, T. (1994). Belief in Conspiracy Theories. Political Psychology, 15(4), 731–742. doi: 10.2307/3791630
Howell, E. (2019, July 19). Moon-Landing Hoax Still Lives On, 50 Years After Apollo 11. But Why? Retrieved from https://www.space.com/apollo-11-moon-landing-hoax-believers.html
Jennings, R. (2019, June 24). Many people still believe the moon landing was fake. But who's profiting? Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/6/24/18692080/moon-landing-50th-anniversary-steph-curry-conspiracy-theory-hoax
Keneally, M. (2019, July 18). Why the Apollo 11 moon landing conspiracy theories have endured despite being debunked numerous times. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/apollo-11-moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-endured-debunked/story?id=64339363
Preston, E. (2019, February 27). Psychology and the Allure of Conspiracy Theories. Retrieved from https://undark.org/2019/02/27/ the-psychology-and-allure-of-conspiracy-theories/
Public Trust in Government: 1958-2019. (2019, April 11). Retrieved from https://www.people-press.org/2019/04/11/public-trust-in-government-1958-2019/
Public Trust in Government Near Historic Lows [Graph]. (2019, April 11). Retrieved from https://www.people-press.org/2019/04/11/ public-trust-in-government-1958-2019/
Stars in the Night Sky by Jake Weirick under CC-BY. [Heading Image]
Armstrong, R. L. (2019, July 10). Other theories Moon Landing Deniers Believe in [Chart]. Retrieved from https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/moon-landing-real-survey/
Armstrong, R. L. (2019, July 10). Percentage of People who believe in Moon Landing Hoax [Chart]. Retrieved from https://www.satelliteinternet.com/resources/moon-landing-real-survey/
Douglas, K. M., Sutton, R. M., & Cichocka, A. (2017). The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories. SAGE. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417718261
Godwin, R. (2019, July 10). One giant ... lie? Why so many people still think the moon landings were faked. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/10/one-giant-lie-why-so-many-people-still-think-the-moon-landings-were-faked
Goertzel, T. (1994). Belief in Conspiracy Theories. Political Psychology, 15(4), 731–742. doi: 10.2307/3791630
Howell, E. (2019, July 19). Moon-Landing Hoax Still Lives On, 50 Years After Apollo 11. But Why? Retrieved from https://www.space.com/apollo-11-moon-landing-hoax-believers.html
Jennings, R. (2019, June 24). Many people still believe the moon landing was fake. But who's profiting? Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/6/24/18692080/moon-landing-50th-anniversary-steph-curry-conspiracy-theory-hoax
Keneally, M. (2019, July 18). Why the Apollo 11 moon landing conspiracy theories have endured despite being debunked numerous times. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/apollo-11-moon-landing-conspiracy-theories-endured-debunked/story?id=64339363
Preston, E. (2019, February 27). Psychology and the Allure of Conspiracy Theories. Retrieved from https://undark.org/2019/02/27/ the-psychology-and-allure-of-conspiracy-theories/
Public Trust in Government: 1958-2019. (2019, April 11). Retrieved from https://www.people-press.org/2019/04/11/public-trust-in-government-1958-2019/
Public Trust in Government Near Historic Lows [Graph]. (2019, April 11). Retrieved from https://www.people-press.org/2019/04/11/ public-trust-in-government-1958-2019/
Stars in the Night Sky by Jake Weirick under CC-BY. [Heading Image]