The World Gone Mad

At a couple of public meetings in Toronto around the turn of the last century at which James Randi spoke on the state of skepticism in the world, after he had finished, I asked him from the audience whether he thought things were getting better. On both occasions he thought for a few seconds and said he did think things were improving.

Randi has now left us but I wonder what his answer would be today. A recent report from a survey conducted by the polling firm Leger indicates how bad things now are.

Belief in Conspiracy Theories: A Surprising Find in Canadians and Americans

and

Conspiracy theories are popular in Canada, especially among conservatives: poll

Quote:

The Earth is flat. We have been secretly contacted by intelligent beings from other planets. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969. They may sound like bizarre statements, but a new poll suggests a sizable number of Canadians believe in these and other conspiracy theories. About five per cent of us are flat-earthers, the poll suggests, while 11 per cent say they think the lunar landings were a hoax. And one-third of respondents say they think evidence that aliens have been in contact with our planet is being hidden from the public. Polling firm Leger surveyed 1,529 Canadian adults and 1,011 Americans between Nov. 24 and 26, asking about their beliefs in several popular conspiracy theories. The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.

. . . .

Quote:

In all, 79 per cent of Canadians and 84 per cent of Americans reported believing in at least one of a list of conspiracy theories mentioned in the survey.

I could not download the survey from the Leger website as the download link does not work.

The Dark Ages are returning.

And a disclaimer - I was one of the 1,529 Canadians who participated in the survey so the results can be adjusted accordingly. ;)

via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/t1nANjd