2.4.1. Social Class
Uscinski and Parent [20] argue that conspiracy theories exist for “losers.” Thus, socially underprivileged individuals and members of the lower class tend to believe conspiracy theories. Mao et al. [61] show that social class can significantly negatively predict individuals’ beliefs in conspiracy theories and explain the likely link between social class and individuals’ beliefs. Because individuals from lower social classes receive less education, live in harsher environments, and often face external threats, they feel less control over their external environments. Generally, when perceived control is threatened by external factors, beliefs in conspiracy theories increase. Van Prooijen [62] finds that social class is correlated with the extent to which individuals believe conspiracy theories.
A representative indicator of social class is income. In empirical studies, Golec de Zavala and Federico [63] show that higher income reduces beliefs in conspiracy theories. Furthermore, Uscinski and Parent [20] demonstrate that people who work in the financial industry or for the government or the military exhibit the lowest levels of conspiracy thinking. However, the causal relationship between conspiracy beliefs and income is indeterminate [10].
Hypothesis 12 (H12).   Belonging to a higher social class (i.e., having a higher income in this study) is negatively related to beliefs in conspiracy theories.