Quote (Thor123422 @ 10 Jun 2016 23:15)
It's the same demographics that are more religious that are also more into conspiracy theories.
Exactly. That's what the research suggests.
For better or worse, I'm more willing to put stock into an esteemed academic journal such as the American Journal of Political Science than hearsay or what I hear someone say anectodotally. But seeing as conspiracy theorists are more associated with the Right in America, and that the Right also has a higher proportion of Christians, then it is also plausible just at face value without even reading the specifics of the research.
The paper specifically addresses "end times" (as seen here in this topic) in its discussion:
"Not only does half of the American population agree with at least one conspiracy from a short list of conspiracy theories offered, but also large portions of the population exhibit a strong dispositional inclination toward believing that unseen, intentional forces exist and that history is driven by a Manichean struggle between good and evil, particularly in the high proportion of Americans who believe we are living in biblical “end times.”So it appears that most Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory, whether they are religious or not. And the paper also says that there isn't necessarily a causal link between religion and conspiracy theories but rather they are associated with similar ways of thinking. So it's important not to assume causality where it might not necessarily be, and this paper is cautious to not do that, of course.