The role of the COVID-19 impersonal threat strengthening the associations of right-wing attitudes, nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiments

Panzeri, Anna, Mignemi, Giuseppe, Bruno, Giovanni, Granziol, Umberto, Scalavicci, Cecilia, Bertamini, Marco ORCID: 0000-0001-8617-6864, Bennett, Kate Mary ORCID: 0000-0002-2918-7628, Spoto, Andrea and Vidotto, Giulio (2023) The role of the COVID-19 impersonal threat strengthening the associations of right-wing attitudes, nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiments. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY, 43 (1). pp. 1-12.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04305-w

Abstract

Literature showed that the link between right-wing attitudes and ethnocentric attitudes gets stronger under existential threats, but the role exerted by an impersonal threat - as COVID-19 - on right-wing attitudes is still unclear. This study aimed to highlight the role of anxiety exerted by the impersonal COVID-19 threat on the relationship between right-wing attitudes and ethnocentric attitudes, as nationalism and anti-immigrants' sentiments. As part of an international project to evaluate the impact of COVID-19, this study administered an online survey to a representative sample (n 1038). The anxiety generated by an impersonal threat as COVID-19 - thus not exerted by any outgroup - can moderate the relationship among personal Right-Wing Authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and ethnocentric attitudes. This is the first study demonstrating that existential threat is effective also when exerted by an impersonal agent (as COVID-19) rather than by an outgroup. Second, these findings disclose useful implications for preventive psychological interventions and for social policy makers.<h4>Supplementary information</h4>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04305-w.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Existential threat, Anxiety, Right-Wing authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, Health psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	24 Jan 2023 08:37
Last Modified:	27 Feb 2024 18:19
DOI:	10.1007/s12144-023-04305-w
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3167810