External shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic may trigger support for antidemocratic practices to the extent that individuals perceive the pandemic as risky and threatening, show the results of this study.
Authors
José J. Pizarro, Department of Social Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastian, Spain; Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile.
Huseyin Cakal, School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, UK.
Lander Méndez, Department of Social Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastian, Spain.
Larraitz N. Zumeta, Department of Social Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastian, Spain.
Marcela Gracia-Leiva, Department of Social Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastian, Spain.
Nekane Basabe, Department of Social Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastian, Spain.
Ginés Navarro-Carrillo, Department of Psychology, University of Jaén, Jaén, Spain.
Ana-Maria Cazan, Department of Psychology and Education Sciences, Transilvania University of Brasov, Brasov, Romania.
Saeed Keshavarzi, Independent Researcher, Iran.
Wilson López-López, Departamento de Psicologia, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia.
Illia Yahiiaiev, Faculty of Psychology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Carolina Alzugaray-Ponce, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Santo Tomás, Concepción, Chile.
Loreto Villagrán, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile.
Emilio Moyano-Díaz, Facultad de Psicologia, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.
Nebojša Petrović, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
Anderson Mathias, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila UAdeC, Coahuila, Mexico.
Elza M. Techio, Department of Psychology, Federal University of Bahia, Bahia, Brazil.
Anna Wlodarczyk, Escuela de Psicología, Universidad Católica del Norte, Antofagasta, Chile.
Laura Alfaro-Beracoechea, Department of Psychology, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico.
Manuel L. Ibarra, Research group in biopsychology, health and society. Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
Andreas Michael, Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Sumeet Mhaskar, Professor, Jindal School of Government and Public Policy, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India.
Gonzalo Martínez-Zelaya, Escuela de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociales, Universidad Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar, Chile.
Marian Bilbao, Department of Psychology, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Gisela Delfino, Department of Psychology, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Madrid, Spain.
Catarina L. Carvalho, Laboratory of Social Psychology, Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Isabel R. Pinto, Laboratory of Social Psychology, Center for Psychology at University of Porto, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Falak Zehra Mohsin, Karachi School of Business and Leadership, Karachi, Pakistan.
Agustín Espinosa, Departamento Académico de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru.
Rosa María Cueto, Departamento Académico de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Lima, Peru.
Stefano Cavalli, Centre of Competence on Ageing, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland.
Silvia da Costa, Methodology and Behavioural Sciences Department, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Alberto Amutio, Department of Social Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastian, Spain; Faculty of Education and Social Science, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Itziar Alonso-Arbiol, Department of Social Psychology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, San Sebastian, Spain.
Darío Páez, Faculty of Education and Social Science, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
Summary
Although different social crises may eventually favor undemocratic and authoritarian forms of governance, at some point, such antidemocratic practices require the support of a significant part of the population to be implemented. The present research investigates how and whether the COVID-19 pandemic might have favoured greater support for antidemocratic governmental practices, on the premise of regaining control and security.
Using data from 17 countries (N = 4364) and national-level indicators (i.e., real number of contagions and deaths, and sociopolitical indicators), we test how the risk of contagion and death from COVID-19, along with personal orientations (i.e., social dominance orientation [SDO], right-wing authoritarianism [RWA], and perceived anomie) motivate authoritarian and antidemocratic practices.
Results from multilevel models indicate that risk perception and perceptions of political instability predict a wish for stronger leadership, agreement with martial law, and support for a controlling government especially when SDO and RWA are high, while more egalitarian and less conservative people agree less with these .
We discuss the implications for these findings for future research on similar but also dissimilar external events (natural disasters, war, or terror incidents) and the consequences for societies with higher authoritarian tendencies.
Published in: Political Psychology
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