Abstract
Research has demonstrated that situational factors such as perceived threats to the social order activate latent authoritarianism. The deadly COVID-19 pandemic presents a rare opportunity to test whether existential threat stemming from an indiscriminate virus moderates the relationship between authoritarianism and political attitudes toward the nation and out-groups. Using data from two large nationally representative samples of adults in the United Kingdom (N = 2,025) and Republic of Ireland (N = 1,041) collected during the initial phases of strict lockdown measures in both countries, we find that the associations between right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and (1) nationalism and (2) anti-immigrant attitudes are conditional on levels of perceived threat. As anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic increases, so too does the effect of RWA on those political outcomes. Thus, it appears that existential threats to humanity from the COVID-19 pandemic moderate expressions of authoritarianism in society.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1274-1285 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Social Psychological and Personality Science |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 11 Jan 2021 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 11 Sept 2021 |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- authoritarianism
- immigration
- nationalism
- pandemic
- social dominance orientation
- threat