Bill Gates created COVID-19, and other conspiracy theories Floridians believe | Opinion

As Florida emerges from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and potentially into a second wave, we are reminded that this is one of the most important states politically, but also in terms of fighting the pandemic.

Nationwide, we have seen an avalanche of conspiracy theories accusing various actors of engineering, spreading, or exaggerating the effects of the novel coronavirus. Some theories accuse Bill Gates of plotting to take over with world with a mind-control vaccine; 5G cell towers of spreading the virus; and hospitals of faking coronavirus death numbers to extract more profit from the healthcare system. These beliefs are unsubstantiated, yet are important because so many Americans across the nation believe them. The conspiracy theories are associated with behaviors that eschew best practices such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing.

We ran a public-opinion poll to see what Floridians believed about these and other COVID-19 conspiracy theories. We sent an online survey to a representative sample of 1,039 Floridians from June 4–22. Respondents were asked to agree or disagree with a series of conspiracy theories that have been prevalent nationwide during the pandemic. We focused on theories suggesting the virus is exaggerated, attributing a cause behind the pandemic and those suggesting that the cure for the virus is a part of a sinister plan.

We first asked our respondents if they believed that “the threat of coronavirus has been exaggerated by political groups who want to damage President Trump.” In total, 28 percent of Floridians agreed and 14 percent were unsure. Of those agreeing, 56 percent identified as Republicans and 14 percent as Democrats. We then asked if the number of deaths related to the coronavirus has been exaggerated. In total, 28 percent agreed and 17 percent were unsure. That almost a third of Floridians believe the outbreak is not real in some way bodes poorly for the recovery.

We then asked if the coronavirus was “purposely created and released as part of a conspiracy.” In total, 25 percent agreed and 26 percent were unsure. Further, 9 percent of Floridians believed that “5G cell phone technology is responsible for the spread of the coronavirus,” and 11 percent blame former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates for the pandemic. Just as some Floridians are quick to think the virus is exaggerated, others believe the virus has been concocted purposely by powerful actors.

Given the conspiracy theories circulating nationwide about a coming COVID-19 vaccine, we asked if the coronavirus is being used to “force a dangerous and unnecessary vaccine on Americans.” In total, 20 percent agreed, and 21 percent were unsure. We further asked Floridians if “the coronavirus is being used to install tracking devices inside our bodies. In total, 15 percent agreed, and 18 percent were unsure.

There is, of course, no vaccine yet, and there is no evidence to support the idea that such a vaccine would either be dangerous or contain a chip, yet a portion of Floridians buy these ideas anyway.

To get an idea of how Floridians’ conspiracy beliefs about the coronavirus compare to their beliefs in other conspiracy theories, we asked respondents about some longstanding conspiracy theories. Because Florida has seen several horrible tragedies that have attracted conspiracy theories, we asked respondents if they agreed that mass shootings, like the ones in Parkland and Orlando, were false-flag attacks perpetrated by the government.

While 73 percent disagreed, 12 percent agreed and 15 percent weren’t sure. Despite the horrific and verifiable nature of these tragedies, many Floridians would deny the truthfulness of such events. Additionally, 15 percent of Floridians believe that AIDS was created and spread on purpose by a secret organization, 40 percent believe the dangers of genetically modified foods are being hidden from the public and 28 percent believe that “the dangers of vaccines are being hidden by the medical establishment.”

Polls show that conspiracy theories are popular across our nation, and our poll shows that Florida is no exception. Beating the coronavirus pandemic will require that Floridians follow the most up-to-date information from the best sources of public-health information, and then act appropriately. That so many Floridians believe conspiracy theories about the pandemic is not shocking on its own, given that many residents appear prone to believing conspiracy theories about other, longer-established issues.

Floridians’ beliefs will influence their behavior going forward; if our beliefs are disconnected from our shared reality, then our ensuing behaviors will not allow our reality to improve.

The writers teach at the University of Miami, College of Arts & Sciences. Joseph E. Uscinski is associate professor of political science; Justin Stoler is associate professor of geography; and Casey Klofstad is professor of political science.