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I can't actually find the details of how the survey was carried out or what the questions were, unfortunately. Anyway, I'm slightly surprised Area 51 tops the poll not to mention some of the omissions
Top conspiracy theories
Of the many conspiracy theories to surface over recent years, Area 51 is the most believed, according to a new poll.
A survey to celebrate the release of The X-Files: I Want To Believe shows that, of 1,000 British adults, 48% believe that aliens and spaceships are being investigated at the US military base, also known as Groom Lake, in Nevada.
The online survey by film company 20th Century Fox examined the reasons for Britain's most widely held conspiracy theories.
On the theory surrounding Area 51, people cited "suspicions over super-sophisticated aircraft", "footage former employees have smuggled out" and "testimonies from former employees who claim to have met and worked with an alien named J-Rod".
Another top conspiracy theory was the belief that the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by the US government to justify the wars in the Middle East.
Those questioned rated this as the second most believed theory, with 38% saying that witness reports of explosions inside the building were the main reason that they thought the Twin Towers were brought down intentionally.
A third of respondents thought the "lack of debris outside the Pentagon is proof that all is not as it seems".
Apollo moon landing
Number three on the list was the suggestion that the Apollo moon landing was a hoax.
Four in 10 of those quizzed identified this as the theory they believed in most, saying the "flying" of the American flag could not have happened as there would have been no wind.
Others said the absence of stars in photographs of the landing and the fact that astronauts had practiced the landing before lift-off all pointed to a fraud.
Diana and Dodi
The fourth most believed theory, by 32%, was that Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed were murdered because of the potential damage their relationship could do to the Royal Family.
Letters from Diana to her butler, Paul Burrell, in which she predicted her own death in a car crash, convinced 28% that the deaths were not an accident.
The Illuminati and the Masons
A quarter of those polled believed that wealthy organisations such as the Illuminati and the Masons were trying to take over the world by creating one government, making this theory number five on the list.
The Illuminati is a group historically thought to have referred to the Bavarian Illuminati, a secret society founded in 1776, while the Masons began as members of craft guilds who stressed religious tolerance, the equality of their male peers, and the themes of classic liberalism and the Enlightenment in the early 1700s.
Some of the reasons for believing the two groups are conspiring to control the world were given as the Illuminati seal on the Great Seal of the United States with the words "Novus ordo seclorum", meaning New Order of the Ages, and the existence of Masonic signs on some buildings in America.
Top 10 conspiracy theories
1. 48% believe that Area 51 exists to investigate aliens and their spaceships.
2. 38% think that 9/11 was orchestrated by the US Government.
3. 35% believe that the Apollo moon landing was a hoax.
4. 32% are convinced that Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed were murdered.
5. 25% think the Illuminati and the Masons are trying to take over the world.
6. 17% think Scientologists rule Hollywood.
7. 7% believe that barcodes are really intended to control people.
8. 6% are convinced that Microsoft sends messages via Wingdings.
9. 5% believe the US Government allowed Pearl Harbour to happen.
10. 3% think the world is run by dinosaur-like reptiles.
The survey also found that, in general, 61% believe in aliens, 52% think ghosts exist and 21% believe in monsters.
http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=30272
Top conspiracy theories
Of the many conspiracy theories to surface over recent years, Area 51 is the most believed, according to a new poll.
A survey to celebrate the release of The X-Files: I Want To Believe shows that, of 1,000 British adults, 48% believe that aliens and spaceships are being investigated at the US military base, also known as Groom Lake, in Nevada.
The online survey by film company 20th Century Fox examined the reasons for Britain's most widely held conspiracy theories.
On the theory surrounding Area 51, people cited "suspicions over super-sophisticated aircraft", "footage former employees have smuggled out" and "testimonies from former employees who claim to have met and worked with an alien named J-Rod".
Another top conspiracy theory was the belief that the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by the US government to justify the wars in the Middle East.
Those questioned rated this as the second most believed theory, with 38% saying that witness reports of explosions inside the building were the main reason that they thought the Twin Towers were brought down intentionally.
A third of respondents thought the "lack of debris outside the Pentagon is proof that all is not as it seems".
Apollo moon landing
Number three on the list was the suggestion that the Apollo moon landing was a hoax.
Four in 10 of those quizzed identified this as the theory they believed in most, saying the "flying" of the American flag could not have happened as there would have been no wind.
Others said the absence of stars in photographs of the landing and the fact that astronauts had practiced the landing before lift-off all pointed to a fraud.
Diana and Dodi
The fourth most believed theory, by 32%, was that Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed were murdered because of the potential damage their relationship could do to the Royal Family.
Letters from Diana to her butler, Paul Burrell, in which she predicted her own death in a car crash, convinced 28% that the deaths were not an accident.
The Illuminati and the Masons
A quarter of those polled believed that wealthy organisations such as the Illuminati and the Masons were trying to take over the world by creating one government, making this theory number five on the list.
The Illuminati is a group historically thought to have referred to the Bavarian Illuminati, a secret society founded in 1776, while the Masons began as members of craft guilds who stressed religious tolerance, the equality of their male peers, and the themes of classic liberalism and the Enlightenment in the early 1700s.
Some of the reasons for believing the two groups are conspiring to control the world were given as the Illuminati seal on the Great Seal of the United States with the words "Novus ordo seclorum", meaning New Order of the Ages, and the existence of Masonic signs on some buildings in America.
Top 10 conspiracy theories
1. 48% believe that Area 51 exists to investigate aliens and their spaceships.
2. 38% think that 9/11 was orchestrated by the US Government.
3. 35% believe that the Apollo moon landing was a hoax.
4. 32% are convinced that Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed were murdered.
5. 25% think the Illuminati and the Masons are trying to take over the world.
6. 17% think Scientologists rule Hollywood.
7. 7% believe that barcodes are really intended to control people.
8. 6% are convinced that Microsoft sends messages via Wingdings.
9. 5% believe the US Government allowed Pearl Harbour to happen.
10. 3% think the world is run by dinosaur-like reptiles.
The survey also found that, in general, 61% believe in aliens, 52% think ghosts exist and 21% believe in monsters.
http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=30272