PsychoIogical Reports, 1975, 36, 874. @ Psychological Reports 1975
AUTHORITARIANISM AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR: THE 1972 ELECTION IUCHARD SHIKIAR Colorado State University
The relationship between authoritarianism, as measured by the F scale (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson & Sanford, 1950), and political preferences has been investigated in numerous studies. Both positive correlations between the two variables (e.g., Kerpelman, 1968) and no correlation between the two variables (e.g., Zippel & Norman, 1966) have been reported. As a part of a larger investigation into the stability of political preferences, 179 introductory psychology students filled out a 12-item F scale, adapted from Levinson: 1 wk. after the election and also indicated whom they had preferred or for whom they had voted on election day. The students preferred Nixon over McGovern by a margin of 120 to 59, which is very similar to Nixon's winning margin in the county in which the University is located. The point biserial correlation between this 12-item F-scale score and political preference was .33 ( # < ,001), indicating that Nixon supporters were significantly more authoritarian than McGovern supporters. (It should be noted that testing the significance of the point biserial correlation is identical to testing the difference between group means.) Zippel and Norman (1966) found no difference in F-scale scores between Goldwater and Johnson supporters in the 1964 election but did find that people who voted for a candidate of a party other than their own were more likely to be highly authoritarian. In the present study, political affiliation was available for 82 of the subjects (these data had been collected the week before). The 12-item F-scale scores of pro-Nixon Republicans ( n = 47) were compared with those of the pro-Nixon Democrats ( n = 7 ) . (There were no pro-McGovern Republicans among the 28 McGovern supporters.) The point biserial correlation was .24 ( p < .08), indicating a tendency for party switchers to be more authoritarian, thus supporting Zippel and Norman's (1966) conclusions. REFERENCES FRENKEL-BRUNSWIK, E., LEVINSON, D. J., & SANFORD, R. N. The at,thoritarian personality. New York: Harper, 1950. KERPELMAN, L. C. Personality and attitude correlates of political candidate preference.
ADORNO, T. W.,
Journal of Social Psychology, 1968, 76, 219-226. ZIPPEL,B., & NORMAN. R. D. Party switching, authoritarianism, and dogmatism in the 1964 election. Psychological Reports, 1966, 19, 667-670. Accepted May 12, 1975.
'D. J. Levinson. T.A.P. social attitudes battery. (Mimeographed report, Harvard Univer.. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1959)
AUTHORITARIANISM AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR: THE 1972 ELECTION IUCHARD SHIKIAR Colorado State University
The relationship between authoritarianism, as measured by the F scale (Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson & Sanford, 1950), and political preferences has been investigated in numerous studies. Both positive correlations between the two variables (e.g., Kerpelman, 1968) and no correlation between the two variables (e.g., Zippel & Norman, 1966) have been reported. As a part of a larger investigation into the stability of political preferences, 179 introductory psychology students filled out a 12-item F scale, adapted from Levinson: 1 wk. after the election and also indicated whom they had preferred or for whom they had voted on election day. The students preferred Nixon over McGovern by a margin of 120 to 59, which is very similar to Nixon's winning margin in the county in which the University is located. The point biserial correlation between this 12-item F-scale score and political preference was .33 ( # < ,001), indicating that Nixon supporters were significantly more authoritarian than McGovern supporters. (It should be noted that testing the significance of the point biserial correlation is identical to testing the difference between group means.) Zippel and Norman (1966) found no difference in F-scale scores between Goldwater and Johnson supporters in the 1964 election but did find that people who voted for a candidate of a party other than their own were more likely to be highly authoritarian. In the present study, political affiliation was available for 82 of the subjects (these data had been collected the week before). The 12-item F-scale scores of pro-Nixon Republicans ( n = 47) were compared with those of the pro-Nixon Democrats ( n = 7 ) . (There were no pro-McGovern Republicans among the 28 McGovern supporters.) The point biserial correlation was .24 ( p < .08), indicating a tendency for party switchers to be more authoritarian, thus supporting Zippel and Norman's (1966) conclusions. REFERENCES FRENKEL-BRUNSWIK, E., LEVINSON, D. J., & SANFORD, R. N. The at,thoritarian personality. New York: Harper, 1950. KERPELMAN, L. C. Personality and attitude correlates of political candidate preference.
ADORNO, T. W.,
Journal of Social Psychology, 1968, 76, 219-226. ZIPPEL,B., & NORMAN. R. D. Party switching, authoritarianism, and dogmatism in the 1964 election. Psychological Reports, 1966, 19, 667-670. Accepted May 12, 1975.
'D. J. Levinson. T.A.P. social attitudes battery. (Mimeographed report, Harvard Univer.. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1959)
