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This article analyses the statistical validity of popular explanations for peoples‘s tendency to rely on conspiracy theories in Lithuanian public discourse. The paper discovers that out of four most popular explanations, belief in paranormal phenomena and determinist thinking have the strongest correlation. The evaluation of one‘s own perceived financial wellbeing also proves significance. Meanwhile, education, political knowledge and actual income level either correlate with tendency to rely on conspiratorial thinking sporadically or does not correlate at all. The study is based on a representative survey, conducted in Lithuania, in late 2021, and seeks to delineate the initial outlines for further research on the case of Lithuania, which has been only scarcely explored.

The article discusses from an anthropological point of view the reasons why minorities tend to find themselves at the center of tensions in Central-Eastern Europe. It presents an idea that the answer to the question lays in the “human side” of the regional politics. In human experiential terms, the political “character” of the region and the image of ethnic minorities as political phenomena are both grounded in memory of suffering and victimization. Because of the historical and experiential circumstances, it became a basis for identity formation, perpetuating the regional tensions. However, such victimized identity can be hijacked and abused both by the actors themselves and the external forces.