Is Political System Justification (Counter-) Normative?

Abstract: The present research examined the normativity of political system justification comparing France and Germany, two Western countries that substantially differ in their level of system justification. We conducted two studies, in France ( N = 177) and Germany ( N = 202), respectively, using the self-presentation paradigm. Participants were asked to answer a political system justification scale to present a good versus bad image of themselves either to a potential employer (context social utility) or a potential friend (context social desirability). Results indicated that political system justification appeared to be counter-normative in France regarding social desirability, but normative in Germany regarding social utility. We relate these results to frequent protest against the political system in France.