The Morality of Anti-Morality: Social Dominance Orientation, the 2012 Election, and Trumpism

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Abstract

This paper critically interrogates the role of authoritarianism in the 2012 United States Presidential Election. While recent studies have demonstrated the importance of authoritarianism with respect to the 2016 election, much less is known about if, and how, authoritarianism affected the 2012 election. Beyond simply asking if authoritarianism matters, there is a strong focus throughout this paper on exactly what dimension of authoritarianism matters, and how it matters. Using data from the American National Election Survey, a series of ordinary least squares and logistic regressions are conducted for white respondents. The main finding is that social dominance orientation consistently and powerfully predicts voting behavior, political attitudes, and prejudice.

Author

• Christopher Altamura, University of Kansas