Right Wing Extremism in Australia: Understanding Australians’ support for RWE through an unfairness grievance lens

• In Event: EXTR6 Right-wing extremism

Abstract

Right-wing extremism (RWE) has increased across much of the western world, but empirical knowledge about RWE beliefs and behaviours remains limited. In this paper, we propose and test a framework for explaining the drivers of RWE ideology in Australia. We call this framework the Integrated Unfairness Framework of Radicalisation. This framework posits that feelings of unfairness, strengthened by perceptions of outgroup threat and feelings of uncertainty, can result in support for right-wing radicalisation. To test this framework, we collected survey data from 660 Australians. Regression analysis revealed that feelings of procedural injustice was associated with greater support for RWE. Importantly, this procedural justice effect was moderated by outgroup threat to predict support for RWE; there was no interaction effect with uncertainty. This focus on unfairness grievances has proven useful in understanding support for RWE in Australia and suggests important directions for further research.

Authors

• Tiahna Morgan Mulholland, Griffith University

• Kristina Murphy, Griffith University

• Louise Elizabeth Porter, Griffith University

• Keiran Hardy, Griffith University