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Predicting Economic, Social, and Foreign Policy Conservatism: the Role of Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, Moral Foundations Orientation, and Religious Fundamentalism

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Abstract

The current research examined the capability of Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA), Social Dominance Orientations (SDO-D and SDO-E), the five Moral Foundations Orientation (MFO), and Religious Fundamentalism (RF) to predict economic conservatism, social conservatism, and foreign policy conservatism. Based on data gathered from a sample of students attending a public university located in the northeast U.S., multiple regression analyses indicated: 1) RWA and SDO-D were predictors of economic conservatism; 2) only RWA predicted social conservatism; and 3) RWA and RF predicted foreign policy conservatism. In all cases, RWA was the strongest predictor of economic, social, and foreign policy conservatism. We discuss the reasons RWAs endorse conservative economic, social and foreign policies.

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Notes

  1. Past research has been inconclusive regarding the extent to which RWA can be changed (Duckitt and Sibley 2010).

  2. The Cronbach alphas for the subscales of the MFQ were rather low (i.e., all were less than the accepted cut-off of .70) with the In-group/Loyalty subscale especially problematic (i.e., Cronbach alpha was .28). To ensure that the scale was coded correctly and the subscales created accurately, the authors rechecked their coding and creation of the subscales to ensure accuracy. We found no errors and have no answer why the subscales are unreliable.

  3. We wish to acknowledge an anonymous reviewer for this idea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Pennsylvania State University, New Kensington, PA, USA

    Richard J. Harnish, K. Robert Bridges & Joshua T. Gump

  2. Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, New Kensington Campus, 3550 Seventh Street Road, Route 780, Upper Burrell, PA, 15068-1765, USA

    Richard J. Harnish

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  1. Richard J. Harnish
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  2. K. Robert Bridges
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  3. Joshua T. Gump
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Correspondence to Richard J. Harnish.

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This research was funded by an internal research development grant by the Pennsylvania State University.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Harnish, R.J., Bridges, K.R. & Gump, J.T. Predicting Economic, Social, and Foreign Policy Conservatism: the Role of Right-Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, Moral Foundations Orientation, and Religious Fundamentalism. Curr Psychol 37, 668–679 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-016-9552-x

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