A new study reports that people who experience hardship are more likely to believe conspiracy theories, according to summaries published by Daily Mail and Mail Online. The articles present the findings as relevant to belief in claims such as flat-Earth theories, suggesting that individuals who have faced difficult life circumstances may be more susceptible to conspiratorial explanations. While the coverage focuses on the idea that hardship correlates with increased openness to conspiracy narratives, the articles do not specify the study’s methodology, sample size, location, or the exact statistical strength of the relationship. They also do not detail whether the researchers establish causation or how hardship is defined or measured. Overall, the reporting emphasizes a connection between hardship and conspiracy belief, framing the relationship as a psychological or behavioral pattern identified in the study.