Alt-Right? System Justification and Political Protest

• In Event: Attitudes toward Political Protest and Violence

Abstract

While a growing number of Americans identify with the alt-right movement, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to its adherents to date. In this paper, we examine supporters of the movement in greater detail, including participants in alt-right “protests” during Covid-19. We argue that contrary to its name, the alt-right, from the perspective of the individual supporter of the movement, is not perceived as an alternative to conventional conservativism, but rather the rightful heir to political power. Moreover, the alt-right’s system justifying ideology is used to legitimate their use of political coercion while delegitimizing political collective action on the left. Using a national sample of Americans (N = 2,563) collected in June 2020, we find that individuals who identify with the alt-right are significantly more likely to have participated in protests against Covid-19 lockdowns while disavowing Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests as illegitimate violent riots. In addition, individuals that identify with the alt-right movement are significantly more likely to display higher levels of essentialist, authoritarian, and system justifying beliefs. As recent events demonstrate, as extremist ideologies are legitimated, political violence grows.

Authors

• Katherine M. Sawyer, Stony Brook University

• Hannah Nam, Stony Brook University

• Kanisha Bond, Binghamton University