Fear of violence and adherence to authoritarianism in Brazil: Methodological proposal and results in 2017

Abstract

This article examines support to authoritarian positions from Brazilian population and dialogues with concerns about recent democratic disruptions and strengthening of antidemocratic positions post-30 years of the Federal Constitution. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with a representative sample of the adult population from the age of 16 years. 2,087 people interviewees answered a version of 17 items of the Adorno's authoritarianism scale (F Scale). The results indicate a strong adherence to authoritarian positions in all layers of society but even more intense for historically marginalized social segments. The fear of violence, which has been effectively exploited by the spokesmen of the extreme right-wing politician's to reinforce moral panic, may have been the propeller of authoritarian tendencies.