More than HALF now say Covid-19 came from a lab, as former conspiracy theory ... trends now
More than half of Americans now say Covid-19 was created in a lab, making it by far the most widely accepted account of how the deadly pathogen came about in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
A Tipp Insights poll provided exclusively to DailyMail.com shows that 52 percent of US adults subscribe to the 'lab leak' theory, while only small shares of respondents said the virus came about naturally or from animals.
The popularity of the lab leak theory rose from about 44 percent last year, and crossed the half-way mark in recent days after the FBI and the Energy Department released bombshell conclusions that a lab was the most likely origin.
Of those who tout the lab leak theory, most of them — 54 percent — say Covid-19 was released into the population deliberately, while only 31 percent say the pathogen escaped by accident.
The survey of 1,370 US adults this month found that respondents were split along party lines. Republican voters (68 percent) were more likely than Democrats (40 percent) to support the lab leak theory.
A Tipp Insights poll provided exclusively to DailyMail.com shows that 52 percent of US adults subscribe to the 'lab leak' theory, while only small shares of the population say the virus came about naturally or from animals
Growing numbers of Americans now say the pandemic leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, claims fiercely rejected by Beijing
The shift shows a remarkable turnaround for an account that was once the preserve of conspiracy theorists, who raised questions about US funding flows to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Former president Donald Trump famously said he was confident that the 'Wuhan virus' originated in a Chinese lab, even though some naysayers at the time dismissed his claims as racist.
The theory gained greater respectability earlier this month, when FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed the agency's conclusion that the Covid-19 pandemic was probably the result of a lab leak in Wuhan, China.
Wray reiterated his agency's initial findings from 2021, that it had 'moderate confidence' that the pandemic was a result of an accidental leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
China denounced Wray's comments as having 'no credibility whatsoever.' Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters that the US should 'respect science and facts.'
Wray's comments and the new polling come as the White House continues to struggle to reach a 'consensus' on the origin of the virus despite an Energy Department probe
