Too many Americans like being lied to.

How else to interpret a national poll released two days before Saturday’s third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to undermine the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found that 25% of U.S. adults believe the FBI, not Trump loyalists, instigated the violent attack that shocked the world.

What’s more, the poll results said 34% of Republicans, 30% of independents and 13% of Democrats — yes, Democrats — reported they felt the FBI organized and encouraged the riot.

A look at the findings is, in a word, frightful. Despite overwhelming evidence and legal judgments, the reckless rhetoric of the government plotting an insurrection is unfortunately embraced by the gullible. They stubbornly believe what they want to believe.

Blame it on conspiracy peddlers who have discovered an increasing number of Americans will believe any wild tale. Even when it is proven false by actual participants and the facts to convict hundreds of them.

Sadly, the greatest threat of this upshot is our democracy, unique among the world’s nations for nearly 250 years. Once lies are believed over truth, history confirms the foundation of self-government crumbles.

In this election year, what happened on Jan. 6 looms large given the apparently unavoidable Joe Biden-Donald Trump rematch. The 2020 election outcome resulted in the unprecedented barbarity to prevent Congress from certifying Biden the winner and incumbent Trump the loser.

Given all that’s happened since Trump took office in 2016 and Biden in 2020, it would seem both parties might turn to a new generation of candidates. Trump is driven by revenge; Biden by defense of his liberal agenda.

Polls tell us most Americans want a new, younger generation of leadership to move the country forward. Both candidates are ducking this anxiety reality. As are their Democrat and Republican parties.

Instead, we are experiencing one of the worst examples of how our choice of presidential candidates has been lost to the power of money, party loyalty, extremism and fantasies.

What really happened three years ago at the national Capitol has been kidnapped by conspiracy theorists who delight in disruption through falsehoods.

That’s not a new phenomena, consider the Newtown School massacre hoax, among others. Yet the role the Jan. 6 debunked FBI conspiracy theory plays in the minds of so many Americans this election year is stunning.

Frankly, I’m scared stiff.

Bill Ketter is CNHI’s senior vice president of news. Reach him at wketter@cnhi.com