Authoritarianism in the 21st Century: A Proposal for Measuring Authoritarian Attitudes in Neoliberalism

Esmeralda Nicieza-Cueto and María de la Villa Moral-Jiménez ()
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Esmeralda Nicieza-Cueto: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain
María de la Villa Moral-Jiménez: Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-23

Abstract: The continuous crises of the neoliberal system have led to an authoritarian turn, with authoritarianism acquiring a different dimension since the studies of Altemeyer in 1981. The aim of the present study is to elaborate a scale to measure authoritarianism adapted to the contemporary era, the Neoliberal Authoritarianism Scale , and to test its validity and reliability. 232 people between the ages of 18 and 81 ( X = 38.34; SD = 13.141) residing in Spain participated, consisting of 51.7% women and 38.8% men. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit of the four-factor model (χ 2 /df = 1.92; CFI = 0.993; TLI = 0.992; IFI = 0.993; GFI = 0.986; RMSEA = 0.041; SRMR = 0.063). The scale also showed an adequate internal consistency, with a global McDonald’s Omega of 0.893. Nevertheless, the Conventionalism factor needs to be improved ( ω = 0.621). This scale is a first preliminary approach to measuring neoliberal authoritarianism, which may help to better understand its scope and impact on people’s lives.

Keywords: authoritarianism; neoliberalism; far-right; scale; social psychology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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