Cited by 113Climate Change Communication and PerceptionSocial and Intergroup PsychologyScience and Science Education

The ideological basis of antiscientific attitudes: Effects of authoritarianism, conservatism, religiosity, social dominance, and system justification

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Azevedo, Flávio, Jost, John T.·2021·Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

Abstract

Serious concerns about public distrust of scientific experts and the spread of misinformation are growing in the US and elsewhere. To gauge ideological and psychological variability in attitudes toward science, we conducted an extensive analysis of public opinion data based on a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults ( N = 1,500) and a large replication sample ( N = 2,119). We estimated the unique effects of partisanship, symbolic and operational forms of political ideology, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), and general system justification (GSJ), after adjusting for demographic factors. Multiverse analyses revealed that (a) conservatism and SDO were significant predictors of distrust of climate science in > 99.9% of model specifications, with conservatism accounting for 80% of the total variance; (b) conservatism, RWA, religiosity, (male) sex, (low) education, (low) income, and distrust of climate science were significant predictors of skepticism about science in general (vs. faith) in > 99.9% of model specifications; (c) conservatism, RWA, (low) education, and distrust of climate science were significant predictors of trust in ordinary people (over scientific experts) > 99.9% of the time; and (d) GSJ was a significant predictor of trust in scientific experts (over ordinary people) 81% of the time, after adjusting for all other demographic and ideological factors. Implications for the role of science in democratic society are dis…

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Crossref · 10.1177/1368430221990104

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  • Motivated skepticism about anthropogenic climate change is tied to economic system justification, that is, defence of the capitalist system.

    “Motivated skepticism about anthropogenic climate change is also tied to economic system justification — that is, defence of the capitalist system184,185”

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Authors
Azevedo, F., & Jost, J. T.
Affiliations
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena (DE)
  • New York University (US)
Corresponding author
Azevedo, Flávio
Venue
Group Processes & Intergroup Relations
Published
2021-05-31
Volume
24
Issue
4
Pages
518-549
ISSN
  • 1368-4302 (ISSN-L)
  • 1461-7188
OpenAlex
W3170700604
Cited by
113
References
97
Citations by year
2026: 13 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 5
FWCI
24.25
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Group Processes & Intergroup Relations (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Common Library Network (Der Gemeinsame Bibliotheksverbund) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Science and Science Education
Keywords
political ideology, right-wing authoritarianism, conservatism, social dominance orientation, system justification, religiosity, misinformation, partisanship, science and democracy

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