15% Of Americans Support Q-Anon — What’s Going On? Here’s A Deep Dive Into Their Beliefs

Let’s take a stroll down memory lane to January 6th and the most infamous rioter from that day. Unless you’ve been living under a rock or have successfully suppressed the horror of seeing armed individuals breach the heart of American democracy, you likely remember the fur-clad, Viking-helmeted figure who resembled someone who just left a festival. His face was painted, his tattoos were plentiful, and he had the wild eyes that made headlines. The media labeled him the “Q-Anon Shaman,” a term that may inadvertently insult shamans everywhere but accurately captures his Q-Anon affiliation. He wasn’t alone; many of those rioters shared his beliefs, following the strange narrative of Q, an anonymous online figure who spins a tale of Satan-worshipping, sex-trafficking pedophiles (including Oprah) who drink the blood of children (the supposed secret to eternal youth!), believe the election was stolen (thanks to those pesky lost ballots), and see Donald Trump as a near-messiah.

A survey by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core revealed that 15% of Americans align with Q-Anon’s core beliefs. This warrants a thorough examination.

Fifteen percent of the U.S. population — a number that matches the total of all white evangelical Protestants or white mainline Protestants — equates to around 30 million people, as reported by The New York Times. This statistic reflects the belief that “the government, media, and financial sectors in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles running a global sex trafficking ring.” Among Republicans, this figure rises to 23%.

Additionally, 20% of Americans are convinced that “a storm is coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders,” with 28% of Republicans echoing this sentiment. Alarmingly, 15% of the population believes that “due to how far things have gone off course, true American patriots may need to resort to violence to save our country.” These are individuals who contemplate real violence, and given their sheer numbers, it’s likely they’re in your community.

What Q-Anon Believes

While those three statements encapsulate Q-Anon’s main beliefs, there’s much more to this peculiar right-wing conspiracy theory, which originated from 4chan in 2017. A supposed government insider known as “Q” claimed to reveal the truth about a vast conspiracy involving figures like Robert Mueller and a pizza parlor allegedly linked to child sex trafficking run by Hillary Clinton. The movement is characterized by its pro-Trump and anti-deep state rhetoric, but it has evolved to accommodate a variety of narratives based on followers’ needs.

Celebrities like Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, the Obamas, the Clintons, and even Chrissy Teigen are accused of being part of this blood-drinking, sex-trafficking ring. Events like the Parkland shooting are dismissed as hoaxes, with survivors branded as “crisis actors.” The theory even suggests that Wayfair, a furniture retailer, is involved in child trafficking through its product listings.

Cristina Lopez, a researcher at Media Matters for America who studies Q-Anon, noted that “this conspiracy theory ultimately targets the Democratic establishment.” According to Q-Anon believers, any celebrity who has died under tragic circumstances, from Anthony Bourdain to Chris Cornell, was allegedly murdered to prevent them from exposing these sinister activities.

Believers often utilize numerology, Illuminati symbols, and various unconventional methods to decode Q’s cryptic messages, making them malleable to fit their interpretations. Many claim that Trump has dropped hints that the code-breakers have successfully solved the puzzle, such as when he used the phrase “tip-top” at the White House Easter Egg Roll after a supporter prompted him.

According to The New York Times, 40% of Q-Anon supporters believe that “the Covid-19 vaccine contains a surveillance microchip that is the sign of the beast in biblical prophecy.” It’s worth noting that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was previously vocal about Q-Anon before she distanced herself from it after the election, and Trump has yet to disavow the movement.

This Has Happened Before

This kind of unfounded hysteria isn’t new. Historical events like the Salem Witch Trials and the Spanish Inquisition highlight similar episodes of mass paranoia. More recently, the 1980s saw a peak in what is known as the Satanic Panic, typified by the McMartin Preschool trial in California, where accusations of ritual abuse led to a protracted legal battle. Ultimately, the claims were proven false, with many of the accusers admitting to fabricating their stories.

Q-Anon mirrors these past claims about Hollywood elites, secret societies, and ritualistic abuse. However, unlike earlier iterations, Q-Anon promotes the idea of armed revolution as a necessary course of action. The FBI designated Q-Anon as a domestic terrorism threat back in 2019, long before the Capitol riots, indicating that these individuals pose a credible risk, as demonstrated on January 6th. They hold firm beliefs that the election was “a big lie,” that Joe Biden is not the “real president,” and that a cataclysmic storm awaits to cleanse the political landscape and restore their “true” leaders.

They are armed. They are dangerous. They comprise 15% of the population. If the Capitol riots didn’t bring the reality of this group into sharp focus, these statistics surely should. Bowie was right: I’m wary of my fellow Americans.

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Summary:

The Q-Anon conspiracy theory has gained traction among 15% of Americans, equating to about 30 million people who believe in a narrative involving a powerful cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles. This movement, which emerged from online forums in 2017, encompasses various bizarre beliefs, including the notion that the Covid-19 vaccine contains microchips and that armed revolution may be necessary to “save” the country. With the FBI classifying Q-Anon as a domestic terrorism threat, it’s crucial to understand the implications of these beliefs.