Why Education Predicts Decreased Belief in Conspiracy Theories JAN-WILLEM VAN PROOIJEN Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, VU Amsterdam/The NSCR, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsSummary: People with high education are less likely than people with low education to believe in conspiracy theories. It is yetunclear why these effects occur, however, as education predicts a range of cognitive, emotional, and social outcomes. The presentresearch sought to identify mediators of the relationship between education and conspiracy beliefs. Results of Study 1 revealedthree independent mediators of this relationship, namely, belief in simple solutions for complex problems, feelings of powerless-ness, and subjective social class. A nationally representative sample (Study 2) replicated these findings except for subjective socialclass. Moreover, variations in analytic thinking statistically accounted for the path through belief in simple solutions. I concludethat the relationship between education and conspiracy beliefs cannot be reduced to a single mechanism but is the result of thecomplex interplay of multiple psychological factors that are associated with education. © 2016 The Authors. Applied CognitivePsychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.