The theories
Sixty years of Gallup polls on who killed Kennedy.
RECORD / AT A GLANCE
Documented
Documented that a majority of Americans has believed others were involved in every Gallup reading but one since 1963, with 65% in 2023. Documented that the U.S. government and the CIA are now named most often.
THE EVENTS / THE INVESTIGATION / THE STORY
22–27 Nov 1963
52% say others were involved; 29% one man.
Dec 1966
Exactly half say others were involved.
1976–2003
Belief in a conspiracy runs 74% to 81% in six readings.
Nov 2013
61% conspiracy, 30% Oswald alone.
Oct 2023
65% conspiracy, 29% Oswald alone.
READ THE FILE
From 52% to 81% and back to 65%.
The Mafia has given way to the government.
Education and party.
Open an article for its evidence, labeled AI assessment and numbered sources. Read the complete static edition ↗
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THIS FILE
4 claims people make about this file, each rated documented, partly true, disputed, unproven or false. Think a rating is wrong? Use Dispute or Support, or join the Discussion.
65% in Gallup’s 2023 poll.
Who says it: Gallup.
Six readings from 74% to 81%.
Who says it: Gallup.
20% named the government, 16% the CIA, 11% the Mafia.
Who says it: Gallup.
50% lone gunman, 44% conspiracy.
Who says it: Gallup.
OPEN THE RECORD
Numbered citations in each article identify the relevant sources. These records have different purposes and evidentiary weight.
The 50th-anniversary reading.
65% believe others were involved; belief ran 74%–81% between 1976 and 2003; the government is named most often.
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From 52% to 81% and back to 65%.
In a poll taken from 22 to 27 November 1963, 52% of Americans said others were involved, 29% said one man was responsible. In December 1966, two years after the Warren Report, it was the only time a majority did not say others were involved: exactly half did. [1][2]
From the mid-1970s through the early 2000s, belief in a conspiracy ran from 74% to 81% in six readings. It dipped to 61% in 2013, with 30% saying Oswald acted alone, and stood at 65% against 29% in October 2023. [1][2]
What we can’t tell you. Polls measure belief, not evidence.
The 50th-anniversary reading.
65% believe others were involved; belief ran 74%–81% between 1976 and 2003; the government is named most often.
The Mafia has given way to the government.
In 2013 those who believed in a conspiracy named the Mafia (13%) and the federal government (13%) most often, then the CIA (7%) and Fidel Castro or Cuba (5%). [1]
In 2023 they named the federal government (20%) and the CIA (16%) most, then the Mafia or organized crime (11%) and the FBI (6%). No one else was named by more than 3%. [2]
What we can’t tell you. The question is open-ended, so the categories overlap.
The 50th-anniversary reading.
65% believe others were involved; belief ran 74%–81% between 1976 and 2003; the government is named most often.
Education and party.
In 2023 Americans with postgraduate degrees were the only major group where more said Oswald acted alone (50%) than a conspiracy (44%). Among college graduates without postgraduate study it was 57% conspiracy, 41% lone gunman. Republicans (71%) and independents (68%) were more likely than Democrats (55%) to believe in a conspiracy. [1]
What we can’t tell you. Gallup found no statistically significant age differences in 2013 or 2023.
65% believe others were involved; belief ran 74%–81% between 1976 and 2003; the government is named most often.
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