Yet another paper has emerged showing a strong correlation between belief in free market ideology and climate change denial (1). The article, NASA faked the moon landing—therefore, climate science is a hoax finds a very strong negative relationship between degree of faith in free markets and acceptance of climate science.

Interestingly, it shows that if people are inclined to fall for one kind of conspiracy theory – like the faking of the moon landing – then they were likely to fall for others – like climate scientists making up climate change to get research money (really, people actually believe this? I still can’t quite come to terms with that).

It amuses me greatly that free market economics is in the same category as faked moon landings. Indeed, as the recent financial crisis has shown us, the efficient market hypothesis is fatally flawed and it’s clear that the stronger the application of free market ideology, the greater the disparity becomes between rich and poor. Not only do the top 10% gain wealth at the cost of the bottom 90% but the top 1% gain wealth at the cost of the next 9%. So, free market ideology perhaps is a real conspiracy. The elite have constructed a system that is very effective in transferring wealth from the rest of us to them – and have managed to get the majority of policy makers to believe that it’s for the good of all. Quite a conspiracy indeed.

1. S. Lewandowsky, K. Oberauer, G. E. Gignac, NASA Faked the Moon Landing–Therefore, (Climate) Science Is a Hoax: An Anatomy of the Motivated Rejection of Science., Psychological science (2013), doi:10.1177/0956797612457686.