Nearly 1-In-3 Americans Believe Coronavirus Was Made In A Lab

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect millions of Americans’ daily lives, a debate has arisen about how the outbreak spread and, ultimately, where the fault lies for this crisis. An increasing number of Americans — nearly one-in-three — now say COVID-19 was artificially created in a lab.

A recent survey conducted by Pew Research found that 29% of Americans hold this view, most of whom (23%) said the coronavirus was created deliberately in a lab. Even still, most (43%) said the disease was natural, though a quarter said they were unsure.

So far, health experts have agreed that the coronavirus was most likely naturally occurring.

This trend shows how conspiracy theories are gaining traction as Americans increasingly seek the origins of this crisis. Although the narrative that the disease was artificially created originated in fringe online groups, it has clearly begun to shift into the mainstream.

While the exact origins of the coronavirus remain unclear, what is clear is that at least some of the conspiracy theories about the disease can be traced back to QAnon. The far-right online group frequently peddles in bizarre theories; most recently, the group began pushing the notion that COVID-19 was a Chinese bioweapon being spread with the help of Democrats; the aim being to undermine Trump’s bid for a second presidential term by crashing the economy.

Versions of this conspiracy theory didn’t remain confined to the fringes for long, as some Republican lawmakers began suggesting similar ideas.

Among them is Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who has generally maintained his belief that COVID-19 was created in a Chinese government laboratory, a conclusion he has said was guided by “common sense” and “not Chinese communist lies.” More recently, though, Cotton has softened this stance and said that this is just one possible origin of the disease.

Even still, such remarks by Cotton and other conservative lawmakers appear to have already made their impact. As Pew’s poll shows, there is a political divide over the acceptance of conspiracy theories about COVID-19’s origins: Among those who identify as liberal, just 15% said the disease was lab-made, whereas 39% of those who consider themselves conservative said the same.