NEWS AND OPINION:

The nation appears to be quite taken with whispered tales, political possibilities and provocative legends. Yes, there is a poll about this, and here it is.

“With political fervor in the United States reaching unprecedented heights ahead of the 2024 elections, it’s set to be one heck of a roller coaster. Amidst the chaos and debates, one phenomenon stands out — Americans’ love for conspiracy theories. These aren’t just whispers in the shadows; they’re bold assertions and speculative tales woven into the fabric of American political discourse,” according to Oddspedia.com — an online site brimming with sports odds, data, information, expert picks and assorted insights.

And what do people actually believe? Here are some results from the survey, verbatim from the source.

“Four in five Americans acknowledge belief in conspiracy theories. Republicans (35%) are more prone to embrace conspiracy theories than Democrats (14%) and independents (20%),” the site said in its analysis of the findings.

“The top five states voted most likely to be the homes of conspiracy theorists are Florida, California, Texas, Alabama and New York,” it said.

Interestingly enough, this research found that a sizable 83% of Americans believe conspiracy theories affect public opinion about politics. It revealed that 90% of respondents agreed the theories “sway voters’ perceptions of candidates,” 83% say they “influence public opinion” and 57% agreed that conspiracy theories are “orchestrated by foreign entities.”

The survey also found that the top three conspiracy subjects in the political realm are “government involvement,” “health and medical manipulation” and “secret societies with global influence.”

In fourth place was “historical revisions and hidden truths,” followed by “extraterrestrial and cosmic conspiracies” — the last being a favorite here at Inside the Beltway.

Do conspiracy beliefs influence choices made in the poll booth? The survey reveals that 90% of respondents feel that conspiracy theories can “sway voters’ perceptions” of candidates.

“Social media platforms wield significant influence in amplifying conspiracy narratives, one in five Americans report encountering election-related conspiracy theories very frequently or frequently across their social media platforms. Facebook and Twitter emerge as the primary channels for spreading such narratives,” the site analysis said.

Find this source at https://oddspedia.com/us.

NIGHTSTAND READING

Here’s a newly published book with a well-informed source.

Author Tom Sloan served for more than 25 years as a special agent with the Secret Service and remains an active member of the Secret Service’s NY/NJ Electronic Crimes Task Force. Mr. Sloan has already written two books with compelling names — “Bratva’s Rose Tattoo” and “Guardians of Democracy.”

Mr. Sloan’s new book, “Bratva’s Revenge,” arrived on Tuesday boasting a plot filled with mob discord, revenge and the proverbial clear and present danger.

“Revenge is sweet, but for whom?” the author asks.

The 370-page book was published by Archway Publishing, a division of Simon & Schuster, and is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

BIDEN’S FOODFLATION FACTOR

Yes, there is much sticker shock in grocery stores at the moment. There is also a political dynamic at work, however — and one analysis is blaming the White House.

“Bidenflation’s hunger games: Soaring food prices leave Americans struggling. Foodflaiton matters,” said an editorial from the Tippinsights editorial board — which is associated with the Tipp Poll.

“President Biden seems to be evading any discussion about the ’foodflation’ crisis that has emerged under his watch. When confronted with such questions, he often deflects, attributing it to his predecessor, corporate greed, or shrinkflation. His responses are, at best, dismissive and, at worst, misleading. Even the media, seemingly biased in favor of Biden, appears reluctant to ask food-related questions and hold the president accountable,” the editorial said.

Former President Donald Trump did a better job, it said.

“Prices of cereals and bakery products climbed by 4.6% during Trump’s term, whereas they surged by 25.6% under Biden’s administration. The previous administration saw a 9.7% increase in meat, poultry, fish, and eggs prices. However, these prices have skyrocketed under President Biden, jumping by a significant 21.3%,” the editorial said.

“Dairy and related products experienced a 4.5% increase during Trump’s presidency, while the increase is already 15.8% under Biden. The cost of nonalcoholic beverages and beverage materials increased by 6.3% under Trump versus a 21.7% rise during Biden’s term,” it said.

And the price of dining out became 12.7% more expensive during Mr. Trump’s time in office, compared with a 22.1% increase under Mr. Biden.

See more food panic numbers in the Poll du Jour at the column’s end.

FOXIFIED

In the week of June 10-16, Fox News once again bested cable news rivals in prime time and through the day — and also aired 87 of the top 100 weekly news telecasts. In prime time, Fox News drew 2.1 million viewers, and the daytime audience numbered 1.3 million, according to Nielsen.

“The Five” led the competition with an average of 3.1 million viewers that week, followed by “Jesse Watters Primetime” (2.8 million viewers), “Hannity” (2.4 million), “The Ingraham Angle” (2.2 million) and “Special Report With Bret Baier” (2.1 million).

Late-night kingpin Greg Gutfeld averaged 2.4 million viewers, besting CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (an audience of 1.9 million), ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (1.8 million), NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (1.2 million) and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” (512,000).

With audiences ranging from 1.5 million to 1.8 million, Fox News daytime favorites — “Outnumbered,” “The Faulkner Focus,” “America’s Newsroom,” “America Reports” and “The Story” — all drew larger audiences than ABC’s “GMA3” (1.3 million), NBC’s “Today With Hoda and Jenna” (1.3 million) and CBS’ “The Talk” (1.2 million).

POLL DU JOUR

• 62% of U.S. adults are dining out less; 52% are buying store brands more often.

• 46% are cutting down on high-ticket items like meat.

• 41% are shopping at bargain stores.

• 33% are eating smaller portions; 23% are skipping meals.

• 21% have applied for federal or state assistance such as SNAP or WIC.

• 21% go to food banks; 14% grow their own vegetables.

• 9% say there has been no change in their food-related activities.

• 2% are not sure about the issue.

Source: A Tipp Poll of 1,910 U.S. adults conducted online May 29-31.

• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.

• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.