Right-wing authoritarians more likely to reject science

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-06-04 11:59

New Zealand; International

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People who have an authoritarian worldview, or are more accepting of inequality, are less likely to agree with scientific consensus on socially-debated issues, such as vaccination and fluoridation. Researchers surveyed more than 9,000 people in New Zealand and the US to get a sense of how they felt about cultural supremacist and authoritarian tendencies, such as agreeing with the statement “Obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn”. This was paired with questions around science-related statements like, “Human CO2 emissions cause climate change”. They say their research is consistent with, and adds to, previous work finding that the ideological roots of rejecting science stay the same regardless of the scientific issue being discussed.