Political Ideology and the Legitimization of Social Inequalities in Colombia
Ideología política y legitimación de las desigualdades sociales en Colombia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15446/rcp.v33n1.97218Keywords:
Political ideology, inequality, system justification, Colombia, Social Psychology (en)ideología política, desigualdad, justificación del sistema, Colombia, Psicología social (es)
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This article examines the effect of left-right political ideology on attitudes toward inequality and the maintenance of the status quo in Colombia. In three studies, we examined the influence of political orientation on attitudes towards economic inequality (Study 1, N = 506), gender inequality (Study 2, N = 277), and political inequality (Study 3, N = 1,555). Our results suggest that people positioning further to the right on the political spectrum —political conservatism—were consistently associated with lower perception of social inequalities, greater justification of the unequal status quo, and refusal to take actions that redress inequality. These results were consistent across different domains, such as economic, political and gender inequalities. Furthermore, our findings also suggest that political ideology was also associated with political and affective polarization. Political ideology is discussed as a category that allows people to perceive and understand the social world from which they position themselves in relation to political issues.
En este artículo se examina el efecto de la ideología política de izquierda-derecha sobre las actitudes hacia la desigualdad y el mantenimiento del statu quo en Colombia. En tres estudios, evaluamos la influencia de la orientación política sobre las actitudes hacia la desigualdad económica (Estudio 1, N = 506), la desigualdad de género (Estudio 2, N = 277) y la desigualdad política (Estudio 3, N = 1.555). Nuestros resultados sugieren que las personas que se posicionan más a la derecha en el espectro político —conservadurismo político— se asocian sistemáticamente con una menor percepción de las desigualdades sociales, una mayor justificación del statu quo, y un mayor rechazo a emprender acciones que promuevan el cambio social. Estos resultados fueron consistentes en diferentes ámbitos, como las desigualdades económicas, políticas y de género. Además, nuestros resultados también sugieren que el conservadurismo político estuvo asociado con diferentes formas de polarización política y afectiva. La ideología política se discute como una categoría que permite a las personas percibir y comprender el mundo social desde el que se posicionan en relación con las cuestiones políticas.
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