Was the election stolen? Was Covid 19 developed as a bioweapon? Were the vaccines a scam? Is global warming a hoax?
These are all examples of conspiracy theories where people believe a powerful organization is secretly trying to harm or deceive the population or a large group.
Other examples of conspiracy theories are NASA faking the moon landing, the so-called round earth theory, the suppression of free energy and the water-fueled car, 5G radiation, Chemtrails, Roswell, and Area 51, the New World Order. The assassinations of JFK and Princess Diana, the Holocaust, faked school shootings as hoaxes, 911 as an inside job, Qanon and Pizza Gate.
People like to believe conspiracy theories for the same reason they like murder mysteries and whodunits.
The secret plotting is engaging and it’s exciting to learn the “mind-blowing truth”. This special knowledge makes them feel special like they’re part of an elite few who are superior to the gullible sheep who believe the science and experts, and they would rather believe all the big problems are caused by evil, bad guys.
Because if it’s not bad guys, then that just means catastrophes are unpredictable and no one is in charge, which is too scary for some people.