The Role of Threats in the Support of System-Justifying Beliefs
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Encounters with threats can lead to a motivation to justify the existing social system, which can be expressed through endorsement of system-justifying beliefs. Objective: The aim of the study was to examine how difierent types of threats contribute to endorsement of system-justifying beliefs in the economic domain. Design: = 577) with internal threats (fear of death), economic threats (threats of poverty and socio-economic inequality), and subjective threat perception (belief in a dangerous and competitive world) as predictors; system-justifying beliefs (economic system justification, opposition to equality, dominance, and antiegalitarianism) served as dependent variables, and sociodemographic characteristics were included as control variables. Results: Structural equation modeling showed adequate fit in the Russian context. Belief in a competitive world positively predicted dominance, antiegalitarianism, and opposition to equality, while belief in a dangerous world negatively predicted economic system justification. Fear of death positively predicted opposition to equality, whereas perceived economic threats (poverty and inequality) negatively predicted antiegalitarianism, and opposition to equality. Conclusion: Dangerous and competitive worldviews, internal and economic threats contribute to the support of system-justifying beliefs in the economic domain.
Authors: Irina S. Prusova, Anna S. Gorokhova
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4413163137