Parenting Attitudes and Public Support for Political Authoritarianism in Latin America

Abstract

Abstract Despite nearly three decades of democratic rule throughout the Latin American region, public support for authoritarian norms has persisted. These “pockets of authoritarianism” can bolster support for policies and practices that weaken democratic governance, such as allowing authorities to abuse power. We examine why some Latin Americans endorse nondemocratic governance options by testing the predictive power of a psychological measure of authoritarianism, operationalized as support for particular child-rearing practices. We find that this psychological variable explains support for several nondemocratic governance options in the region: presidential limits on the opposition, iron-fist policies, torture of suspected criminals, and a military coup. Authoritarian parenting attitudes are also correlated with perceptions that political minorities threaten the country and lower support for democracy.