Cohort Differences in the Link Between Authoritarianism and Economic Preferences

• In Event: The Causes & Consequences of Authoritarianism

Abstract

Authoritarianism is generally a stronger predictor of right-wing cultural attitudes than right-wing economic attitudes. Moreover, when a relationship between authoritarianism and right-wing economic preferences is found, it is typically only among the politically engaged. Recent work suggests that this pattern arises because engaged authoritarians are more likely to sort into right-wing parties as a function of their cultural preferences and then take right-wing cues from elites on economic matters (e.g., Johnston, Lavine, & Federico, 2017). However, partisan sorting as a function of authoritarianism is a relatively recent phenomenon resulting from increased divergence between party elites on cultural matters. If this is the case, then younger age cohorts should be more sorted as a function of authoritarianism, leading in turn to a stronger connection between authoritarianism and right-wing economic preferences among those younger cohorts. Using data from the 2016 Views of the Electorate Research (VOTER) Survey, I find evidence for this prediction. The observed cohort differences in the relationship between authoritarianism and economic preferences persist even after accounting for the moderating effect of individual-level political engagement, and additional analyses also suggests that the cohort differences disappear once generational differences in partisan sorting as a function of authoritarianism are accounted for. Together, the results suggest that time of socialization -- over and above the impact of individual-level engagement variables -- can influence the relationship between psychological variables and economic preferences.

Author

• Christopher M. Federico, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities