New Kid

 Claude 2, like Google Bard, is free to use, though it does require registration with your full name.  It claims a more up-to-date body of training data.

I thought this new Large Language Model handled my initial test question quite nimbly:

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Compare the prevalence of conspiracy theories in U.S. political discourse to that of other democracies.

There are a few key points to consider when comparing conspiracy theories in US political discourse versus other democracies:

The US has a long history of conspiracy theories intertwined with politics, going back to the anti-Masonic movements of the 19th century and fears of Catholic infiltration. This provides fertile ground for new conspiracy narratives to take hold.

American exceptionalism and distrust of government power feeds into conspiratorial thinking - the idea that "they" are out to undermine American greatness. This is less prevalent in cultures with more collective/communal values.

The two-party polarization in the US exacerbates an "us versus them" mentality. Hyper-partisanship makes each side prone to believing negative conspiracy theories about their opposition.

The US system of checks and balances, separation of powers, and freedom of speech makes it harder to clamp down on misinformation. Conspiracy theories spread readily on social media.

Right-wing media ecosystem in the US propagates conspiracy narratives, for example about Obama's birthplace or the 2020 election. This has less equivalence in other democracies.

Comparatively, countries like the UK or Australia have had fewer high-profile political conspiracy theories get broad traction. However, the internet age is impacting all open democracies.

So in summary, there are cultural and systemic factors that provide fertile ground for conspiracy theories to take hold in the US political mainstream more so than peer nations. However, other democracies are impacted too by misinformation trends in the digital age.