The Interaction of Economic Inequality and Authoritarianism on Voter Preference During the 2016 Presidential Election

Abstract

I examined the interaction of personality and environmental context on voter preference in the 2016 presidential election. Survey data from the 2016 CSPP-PEP was merged with county and zip-code level data including racial diversity, Gini coefficient (representing level of economic inequality) and percent below the poverty line. Authoritarianism was analyzed as the personality predisposition. I hypothesized that the impact of authoritarianism on voter choice in the election (Trump vs. Clinton) would depend on the context-level variables. The results of regression analyses interacting authoritarianism and Gini coefficient as well as percent below the poverty line showed these economic measures of inequality activated the authoritarian dynamic and led to divergent candidate evaluations.