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Reading Between the Party Lines: How Authoritarianism Correlates with Dystopian Literature Consumption and Political Affiliation

Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This study explored the relationship between authoritarianism and both the number of dystopian literature novels read and self-reported political affiliation. Our primary goal was to investigate literature's potential role in influencing authoritarian thinking and to determine how authoritarianism scores might differ across the political spectrum. We recruited 155 participants with an average age of 36.65 (SD = 15.97) from a Midwest community college's psychology classes and social media platforms. Participants were presented with 15 dystopian literature titles and asked to indicate how many they had read. They also provided their political affiliation and completed a measure of authoritarian thinking. We found a significant negative correlation between the total number of dystopian novels read and scores on authoritarian thinking, suggesting that as the number of dystopian books read increases, authoritarian thinking tends to decrease. Furthermore, the strength of this relationship varied depending on the specific literary work. Regarding political affiliation, individuals who self-identified as Republican had significantly higher authoritarian thinking scores compared to participants of all other political affiliations, shedding light on authoritarian divides across party lines. These findings have practical implications worth considering. As children, we are influenced by the ideologies of our parents, until we have the space to challenge our instilled beliefs through personal experiences. Many books included in this study have been subjected to book bans globally, and the observed negative correlation with authoritarian thinking is notable. Our research suggests a need to better understand the potential ideological impact of removing these kinds of books from educational curricula.
DOI: 10.54581/vsdc2444
Language: English
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7119196404
FWCI:
Cites: 14
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Related to: 10