The Evolution of Belief: A Family's Struggle with Conspiracy Theories

Stephanie is one of nearly one million Americans who have died of COVID-19. Her family says Stephanie's death was avoidable, but in recent years, she had been drawn into conspiracy theories.

She believed that the coronavirus was a hoax and refused to get vaccinated. When she got COVID-19 last winter, Stephanie refused treatments and eventually died just a few days after Christmas.

While there is no way to know exactly how many people like Stephanie have died because they believed conspiracy theories, the Kaiser Family Foundation recently found that more than 200,000 Americans would be alive today, had they had been vaccinated.

NPR's Geoff Brumfiel reports.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy