How Much of an Authoritarian Are You?

[sun rise]

I flunked.
9.09%
I'd have scored even lower, but I don't praise people for being who they are.

Oh no, I'm more authoritarian than you are but fortunately only a tiny bit.

Your score for right-wing authoritarianism was 10.8%. Higher scores indicate more right-wing authoritarianism.

 

[Revoltingest]

Oh no, I'm more authoritarian than you are but fortunately only a tiny bit.

Your score for right-wing authoritarianism was 10.8%. Higher scores indicate more right-wing authoritarianism.

Well, you are a liberal...not a libertarian.

 

[ChristineM]

My goodness 13.07% which i thought was pretty high.

May be i misread a question or two

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I flunked.
9.09%
I'd have scored even lower, but I don't praise people for being who they are.

I know the question you're referring to, and I had to answer neutral on it. I actually scored "6.82%" by answering everything I could polarized away from what I figured they were going for (which, to be completely honest, was not that far off from what I truly would have answered anyway... perhaps only a point or two on one or two of the inputs).

 

[Twilight Hue]

Everyone submits to authority to some degree, we all listen to authorities (be they parents, teachers, officials, police etc.) but some people take it further and submit to authority even when that authority is dishonest, corrupt, or otherwise pursueing its own self interests at the expense of everyone else's - that's Authoritarianism.

Psychologists found out that Authoritarianism is made up of three main criteria - submission to authority, high conventionalism, and aggression against subversive elements of society.

This test was conceived to measure these criteria.



Right Wing Authoritarianism Scale

You don't have to post your results here if you don't want to, I just found it a neat little device for introspection and self reflection in political matters.

Where's the left wing Authoritarianism scale?

 

[Quintessence]

OK I've added a bit more explanation.

Also @Quintessence has explained a bit more the methodology of these people.

But I still feel uncomfortable answering, when there is no opportunity to make clear what, about these assumption-laden silly questions, I am disagreeing with.

Yes, that is a problem with survey instruments like this. They do not get into the reasoning behind people's responses. For some studies, there may be follow-ups that use focus groups to allow for these kinds of insights. The most important thing in designing survey instruments is to make sure it is measuring what you think it is measuring. There's a whole process to vet that, and I don't know if this particular one went through that. It didn't have any red flags that screamed to me "this was made by amateurs with no knowledge of survey design in research" though.

 

[Quintessence]

Where's the left wing Authoritarianism scale?

It'd be a different instrument. It's pretty apparent from the questions that they are slanted to measuring right-wing authoritarianism. To be honest, I'm not clear on what left-wing authoritarianism would look like. It's kind of a contradiction in terms, isn't it?

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes, that is a problem with survey instruments like this. They do not get into the reasoning behind people's responses. For some studies, there may be follow-ups that use focus groups to allow for these kinds of insights. The most important thing in designing survey instruments is to make sure it is measuring what you think it is measuring. There's a whole process to vet that, and I don't know if this particular one went through that. It didn't have any red flags that screamed to me "this was made by amateurs with no knowledge of survey design in research" though.

I'll bet you're a lot fun at parties with games.

 

[SomeRandom]

Lol I got like 4% Although some of the questions seem awfully inflammatory. Maybe that’s just how American politics is I dunno.
Still, rebel to the end

 

[Tambourine]

Yes, that is a problem with survey instruments like this. They do not get into the reasoning behind people's responses. For some studies, there may be follow-ups that use focus groups to allow for these kinds of insights. The most important thing in designing survey instruments is to make sure it is measuring what you think it is measuring. There's a whole process to vet that, and I don't know if this particular one went through that. It didn't have any red flags that screamed to me "this was made by amateurs with no knowledge of survey design in research" though.

I'm not sure including the reasoning behind people's responses is all that useful in such surveys, because in my experience, people can employ a staggering amount of brain power when it comes to justify beliefs that are important building blocks to their identities.

That said, as the introductory text explained, this is a 1980s revision of a test from the 1940s, so it's quite possible that its design is fairly crude by modern standards of psychological tests. I imagine that with a contemporary big data approach, for example, one could create much more sophisticated instruments by comparison, and identity politics would probably provide a theoretical framework that was more closely connected to contemporary forms of right-wing authoritarianism.

 

[exchemist]

It'd be a different instrument. It's pretty apparent from the questions that they are slanted to measuring right-wing authoritarianism. To be honest, I'm not clear on what left-wing authoritarianism would look like. It's kind of a contradiction in terms, isn't it?

Left wing authoritarianism strikes me as a pretty good description of most of the Warsaw Pact, China and N Korea for much of the c.20th. I've met a few tankies in my time and they are all for coercing people into the "correct" behaviour.

 

[Flame]

Your score for right-wing authoritarianism was 12.5%

Slightly lower than I figured after reading a few other posts but about right.

 

[Quintessence]

Oh, and to be fair - I was in that 20-39% bracket. Probably because there weren't a lot of responses that I picked the extreme end of the scale on. I'm a "use the right tool for the job, and every tool can have a good use in certain situations" sort of person.

 

[Revoltingest]

Oh, and to be fair - I was in that 20-39% bracket. Probably because there weren't a lot of responses that I picked the extreme end of the scale on. I'm a "use the right tool for the job, and every tool can have a good use in certain situations" sort of person.

Well...if I dare say it....an authoritarian bent is an
essential qualification for staff. Also clean underwear
is a significant plus.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

11.93%

I was perhaps a bit wishy-washy on a few oddly-worded questions. I'm also one who has a a slight tendency not to answer at the extreme ends of "agree/disagree" scales.

 

[Augustus]

I started this but I'm afraid I found the questions far too tendentious and silly to be worth answering. Many of them seem to demand a choice between idiotic straw man extremes.

Atheists and others who have rebelled against the established religions are no doubt every bit as good and virtuous as those who attend church regularly.

Seems like it was written in the 16th C

 

[Shadow Wolf]

4.55% No real surprise to me.

I flunked.
9.09%
I'd have scored even lower, but I don't praise people for being who they are.

You silly Scottish Kuhhh-thingut. You're a hardcore fascist next to me.
No go or I will taunt you a second time!

 

[OtherSheep]

Where's the left wing Authoritarianism scale?

Here:

"In January of 2017, when the political controversy over Donald Trump’s perplexing win over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 national election was at its peak, my professor began his political psychology course by asking the lecture hall the following: “How many of you wish Hillary had won the election?” The question was voluntary, yet nearly every hand in the room shot up. “Okay, and how many of you supported Trump winning the election?” The room was quiet as not a single hand was raised, followed by a few chuckles. “Next, how many of you feel that liberals are safe walking across campus expressing their political views?” Every hand once again went into the air. “And how many of you feel that conservatives are safe to walk around campus expressing their political views?” The room filled with laughter as nobody raised their hand.

"While most thought little of the exercise, this was one of the most frightening experiences I’ve had throughout my academic career. Here was an entire lecture hall of young adults laughing at the recognition of political suppression at a university founded on the principles of free thought and discourse."
Measuring Left-Wing Authoritarianism in America

 

[Tambourine]

Here:

"In January of 2017, when the political controversy over Donald Trump’s perplexing win over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 national election was at its peak, my professor began his political psychology course by asking the lecture hall the following: “How many of you wish Hillary had won the election?” The question was voluntary, yet nearly every hand in the room shot up. “Okay, and how many of you supported Trump winning the election?” The room was quiet as not a single hand was raised, followed by a few chuckles. “Next, how many of you feel that liberals are safe walking across campus expressing their political views?” Every hand once again went into the air. “And how many of you feel that conservatives are safe to walk around campus expressing their political views?” The room filled with laughter as nobody raised their hand.

"While most thought little of the exercise, this was one of the most frightening experiences I’ve had throughout my academic career. Here was an entire lecture hall of young adults laughing at the recognition of political suppression at a university founded on the principles of free thought and discourse."
Measuring Left-Wing Authoritarianism in America

This is really weird, because I have seen plenty of videos made by publically outspoken right-wingers who walk all over university campuses, often publically espousing their political views, without any fear of reprisal.

What do you think prompted this widespread, yet seemingly counterfactual, belief that Conservatives are being persecuted at university campuses?

 

[Revoltingest]

4.55% No real surprise to me.

You silly Scottish Kuhhh-thingut. You're a hardcore fascist next to me.
No go or I will taunt you a second time!

Nah, you want to control who is allowed to start what business where.
Commie!