UD research examines how a ‘need for chaos’ is shaping Americans’ trust in Musk, Trump

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“Some people just want to watch the world burn” is an iconic line from the 2008 Batman film “The Dark Knight,” but for some Americans, it’s more than just a line, it’s a reflection of how they actually feel about the country’s political system.

That’s according to new data from the Center for Political Communication at the University of Delaware, which finds that a number of people in the U.S. have what researchers call a “need for chaos,” and it’s those with these views that are placing more trust in figures like Elon Musk, President Trump, and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

This week, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon spoke with UD Professor of Communication and Political Science Dannagal Young about how this “need for chaos” is fueling support for Musk and Trump, and what it reveals about the state of U.S. democracy.