Work

If I could turn back time: The authoritarian connection to nostalgia

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Comparative politics scholars have long noted the presence of authoritarian nostalgia in emerging democracies. In this paper, we explore how the combination of nostalgia and authoritarianism influenced public attitudes within the U.S. context. Specifically, we use a module from the Cooperative Election Study to explore the relationship between nostalgia and four measures of authoritarian attitudes. Our findings show that nostalgia has the expected relationship in all four models. Nostalgic Americans are more likely to support political strongmen, violations of rules, norms, and institutions, and the use of political violence against political opponents. This paper contributes to the literature on authoritarian nostalgia by establishing a link between nostalgia and authoritarianism in an established democracy without a recent authoritarian past.

Source: Research & Politics

DOI: 10.1177/20531680251334048

Authors: Spencer Goidel, Kirby Goidel

Institutions: Auburn University, Texas A&M University

Language: English

Topic: Political Conflict and Governance

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $800