Moral Polarization Predicts Support for Authoritarian and Progressive Strong Leaders via the Perceived Breakdown of Society

Abstract

Polarization in society may hold consequences beyond the undermining of social cohesion. Here we provide the first evidence highlighting the power of perceived moral polarization in society to drive support for strong leaders. Across two studies and four samples drawn from the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States (N = 1,664), we found evidence linking perceived moral polarization with perceived anomie in society (defined as the perceived breakdown of social fabric and leadership) and with the rise in support for leaders with both a conservative/authoritarian and progressive/democratic style. Specifically, via the perceived breakdown in social fabric, heightened moral polarization predicted increased support for conservative/authoritarian style strong leaders, and via the perceived breakdown of leadership, increased support for progressive/democratic style strong leaders. Experimentally, using a fictionalized society paradigm, we then established causal links between moral polarization and the desire to elect conservative/authoritarian and progressive/democratic strong leaders. The current research is the first to identify the potential political consequences of heightened perceived moral polarization in two-party liberal democracies and contributes to the growing body of research highlighting the role of societal factors in driving support for strong leaders.

Cracks before the crisis: Polarization prior to COVID‐19 predicts increased collective angst and economic pessimism

“…In addition to polarization creating a lens through which people viewed and responded to COVID-19, polarization within a society may also undermine confidence that a society is capable of effectively managing and overcoming a crisis. This is consistent with work that has shown that perceived polarization leads to perceived cracks in the cohesion and functionality of a society (Crimston et al, 2021), or socalled anomie (see Teymoori et al, 2016). Anomie refers to the perceived breakdown of society across two dimensions: disintegration, which refers to the perception that the social fabric within a society is breaking down (e.g., the erosion of social trust), and dysregulation, the perception that leaders and government institutions are broken and ineffective (Teymoori et al, 2016).…”

“…However, while the current research further emphasizes the potential dangers of polarization in our societies, additional research is Looking forward, though the longitudinal component is a particular strength of the current research, as the current data is correlational in nature, we cannot make causal claims about the nature of the identified relationships which is something that might be examined in future experimental research. For example, future research could test the theorized causal links using fictional society paradigms as seen in research examining similar societal level phenomena that can be challenging to manipulate (e.g., Orinthia and Bimboola; Crimston et al, 2021;Jetten et al, 2015). In place of the COVID-19 anomie measure created for the current research, future research might examine whether the observed relationships hold beyond the COVID-19 context-i.e., using the established perceptions of anomie scale (Teymoori et al, 2016), which is not COVID specific.…”

“…Increasingly, social scientists are uncovering ways in which polarization (defined here as perceived group division and opposition on the basis of conflicting ideas, attitudes, or beliefs) can disrupt social cohesion (Crimston et al., 2021; Enders & Armaly, 2019; Heltzel & Laurin, 2020; Rapp, 2016). However, the extent to which polarization may be associated with discord that undermines a country's response to a crisis and predicts enhanced anxiety and future pessimism is unknown.…”

“…This research has examined polarization in various forms (i.e., both the perception of group divides and the actual divergence of attitudes within a society). For example, perceived polarization has been shown to enhance the perceived breakdown of social cohesion within a society and lower the perceived legitimacy and effectiveness of government institutions and leadership (Crimston et al., 2021). In line with this, polarization, in perceived and objective forms, has been linked to increased outgroup hostility, selfishness and prejudice, and associated with reduced trust and political efficacy (Arvan, 2019; Enders & Armaly, 2019; Luhan et al., 2009; Myers & Bishop, 1970; Tappin & McKay, 2019).…”

When Society Deteriorates: Political Intolerance, Perceived Anomic Threat and Participation in Anti-system Collective Actions in the Context of Authoritarian Democracy

“…As a result, they have developed negative emotions (mistrust and grievances) against political authorities. These results thus contribute to the literature on the link between societal anomie and the expression of negative emotions [13,31,32,49,52,53].…”