Stronger Issues, Weaker Predispositions
Abortion, Gay Rights, and Authoritarianism

Visceral feelings about abortion/gay rights are stronger in the public mind, structuring American political conflict deeply.

Paul Goren (Author)

9781009529327, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 16 January 2025

76 pages
23 x 15.1 x 0.5 cm, 0.127 kg

Political psychologists have long theorized that authoritarianism structures the positions people take on cultural issues and their party ties. Authoritarianism is durable; it resists the influence of other political judgments; and it is very impactful-in a word, it is strong. By contrast, researchers characterize the attitudes most people hold on most issues as unstable and ineffectual-in a word, weak. But what is true of most issues is not true of the issues that have driven America's long running culture war-abortion and gay rights. This Element demonstrates that moral issue attitudes are stronger than authoritarianism. With data from multiple sources over the period 1992-2020, it shows that (1) moral issue attitudes endure longer than authoritarianism; (2) moral issues predict change in authoritarianism; (3) authoritarianism does not systematically predict change in moral issues; and (4) moral issues have always played a much greater role structuring party ties than authoritarianism.

1. The strength of moral issues, the pliability of authoritarianism
2. The measurement of authoritarianism and moral issues
3. Moral issue attitudes are more stable than authoritarianism
4. Moral issue attitudes are more impactful than authoritarianism I
5. Moral issue attitudes are more impactful than authoritarianism II
6. Moral issues are stronger than authoritarianism and why it matters
References.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]