Conservative Voters Most Open to Authoritarian Governance in West

Protection-Based Attitude PackageCultural ConservatismWorld Values SurveyWestern DemocraciesAuthoritarian AcceptancePopulism Political Behavior POP 5 R files Dataverse

Concerns about democracy's fragility in Western nations intensified after studies revealed a worrying susceptibility among citizens to authoritarian appeals. Using World Values Survey data from fourteen democracies and recent samples from Canada/U.S., researchers uncovered distinct ideological patterns regarding acceptance of authoritarian rule.

📍 Findings

Cultural conservatives consistently displayed openness toward authoritarian governance, regardless of economic beliefs
A "protection-based" package (conservative cultural views + left-leaning economic policies) emerged as the most popular combination among voters in half these democracies, including all English-speaking nations studied
In other countries, protection-based and right-wing attitude packages showed equally high levels of authoritarian acceptance

🔍 What This Means

These results suggest potential for radical right populism while highlighting the possibility that undemocratic mass coalitions could split along economic lines. The findings offer a nuanced understanding of how ideological combinations influence political preferences regarding democratic governance.

Who Is Open to Authoritarian Governance Within Western Democracies? was authored by Ariel Malka, Yphtach Lelkes, Bert Bakker and Eliyahu Spivack. It was published by Cambridge in POP in 2022.