Hartman, Todd K. and Stocks, Thomas V. A. and McKay, Ryan and Gibson-Miller, Jilly and Levita, Liat and Martinez, Anton P. and Mason, Liam and McBride, Orla and Murphy, Jamie and Shevlin, Mark and Bennett, Kate M. and Hyland, Philip and Karatzias, Thanos and Vallières, Frédérique and Bentall, Richard P. (2021) The Authoritarian Dynamic During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Nationalism and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12 (7). pp. 1274-1285. ISSN 1948-5506

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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.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Cite as: Hartman, T. K., Stocks, T. V. A., McKay, R., Gibson-Miller, J., Levita, L., Martinez, A. P., Mason, L., McBride, O., Murphy, J., Shevlin, M., Bennett, K. M., Hyland, P., Karatzias, T., Vallières, F., & Bentall, R. P. (2021). The Authoritarian Dynamic During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Effects on Nationalism and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(7), 1274–1285. https://doi-org.may.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1948550620978023 Copyright: This pathway includes Open Access publishing No Embargo
Keywords:	authoritarianism; Covid-19;
Academic Unit:	Assisting Living & Learning,ALL institute Faculty of Science and Engineering > Psychology
Item ID:	16719
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620978023
Depositing User:	Philip Hyland
Date Deposited:	21 Nov 2022 10:46
Journal or Publication Title:	Social Psychological and Personality Science
Publisher:	Sage Publications
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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