Right‐Wing Authoritarianism, Attitude Salience, and Beliefs about Matters of Fact

Bibliographic Data

ID6338192
AuthorsHerbert L Mirels (The Ohio State University), Janet B Dean (0000-0001-9142-8827, Asbury University)
Year2006
Volume27
Issue6
Pages839-866
Publication date2006-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0162-895X • E-ISSN: 1467-9221
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1467-9221.2006.00540.x
OpenAlexW1986269443
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited32

Previous investigations have demonstrated a relationship between endorsement of right‐wing authoritarian (RWA) ideology and attitudes toward social and societal issues (e.g., abortion, drug use, affirmative action, and homosexuality). By contrast, the present studies examined the relationship between RWA and beliefs about matters of fact bearing on such issues (e.g., estimates of the prevalence of third trimester abortions, AIDS, concealed weapons). Studies 1 and 2 supported the propositions that high‐RWA and low‐RWA participants would show differences in their informational beliefs about sociopolitical matters consistent with differences in their respective ideologies and consistent with their putative differential cynicism about human nature. Study 3 demonstrated that the relationship between RWA and informational beliefs is amplified by the heightened salience of attitudes toward the targets of those beliefs

Abortion · Authoritarianism · Cynicism · Democracy · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Salience (neuroscience · Cultural Differences and Values · Law · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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