Poll: A third of Republicans buy into Taylor Swift election conspiracy

By the numbers: While nearly three-quarters of adults do not believe that a "covert government effort" exists, 18% do, according to a Monmouth University poll released Wednesday.

• Among the 18% of believers include 32% of Republicans, 18% of independents and 6% of Democrats.
• Meanwhile, the 73% of nonbelievers comprise 89% of Democrats, 72% of independents and 57% of Republicans.

Catch up quick: The legendary pop star Swift has been at the forefront of right-wing conspiracy theories in recent weeks.

• Among the most extreme conspiracies about Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce — who recently clinched a Super Bowl victory — is that their relationship is a deep state psy-op orchestrated by the NFL and Democrats to work in President Biden's favor.

Zoom out: Other recent polls reflect similar sentiments from Republicans in regard to other conspiracy theories, including those surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

• A quarter of Americans believe that the FBI instigated the Jan. 6 attack — including 34% of Republicans — a Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found.

Go deeper: "Stick to singing": MAGA backlash against Taylor Swift gets ugly

Methodology: The poll surveyed 902 U.S. adults between Feb. 8-12, 2024, and has a margin of error of ±4.1 percentage points.