Authoritarianism, Trust in Media, and Tolerance Among the Youth

Abstract

Young people’s authoritarianism is usually associated with lower tolerance toward immigrants. This study tests several alternative pathways through which authoritarianism translates into intolerance. Besides perceived threat from immigration and political alienation, trust in alternative media, which often express anti-immigration sentiments, are considered as potential mediators. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze two-wave longitudinal questionnaire data from Czech adolescents and young adults (aged 15–25; N = 1,346). The results showed that authoritarianism longitudinally predicted perceived threat, which in turn mediated the negative effect of authoritarianism on tolerance. Authoritarianism also predicted higher trust in alternative media, but alternative media trust did not translate into young people’s tolerance. Despite their cross-sectional correlations, no longitudinal effects of authoritarianism on political alienation were found.