Authoritarian Parenting Attitudes Polarize When Authoritarians are on the Ballot

• In Event: Democratic Attitudes, Populism, and Opposition to Immigration in Latin America

Abstract

How do authoritarian parenting attitudes shape, and how are they shaped by, elections in which authoritarian candidates are on the ballot? Prior research finds that authoritarian parenting attitudes predict support for right-wing authoritarian candidates in Latin America. We know little, however, about whether and how such candidates in turn influence authoritarian parenting attitudes. To address this question, we draw on evidence from a five-wave panel study surrounding Brazil’s 2018 presidential election, as well as data from the 2019 AmericasBarometer study in Brazil. Consistent with prior studies, we find that respondents who more strongly endorsed authoritarian parenting attitudes were more likely to support Jair Bolsonaro. Strikingly, however, authoritarian parenting attitudes shifted over the course of the election, such that the gap between Bolsonaro’s supporters and opponents grew during the campaign. Most intriguingly, most of the movement is among Bolsonaro’s opponents, among whom authoritarian parenting attitudes dropped significantly. This result is consistent with understandings of the polarization surrounding culture war attitudes, and also with recent research suggesting that supposedly deep-seated psychological dispositions are malleable in the short- and medium-term.

Authors

• Mason Wallace Moseley, West Virginia University

• Mollie Cohen, University of Georgia

• Matthew L. Layton, Ohio University

• Amy Erica Smith, Iowa State University