Liberal-conservative asymmetries in anti-democratic tendencies are partly explained by psychological differences in a nationally representative U.S. sample.

ABSTRACT: Based on theory and research in political psychology, we hypothesized that liberal-conservative differences in right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and political system justification would contribute to asymmetries in anti-democratic tendencies. These hypotheses were tested in a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults (N = 1557). Results revealed that conservatives were less supportive of political equality and legal rights and guarantees and more willing to defect from democratic "rules of the game" and vote for anti-democratic candidates, even after adjusting for political extremism. Mediational analyses suggested that conservatives' anti-democratic tendencies were partially attributable to higher levels of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance or

SUBMITTER: de Oliveira Santos D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11332046 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature