Exploring Zero-Sum Thinking and System Justification: Impacts on Attitudes Toward Democracy Among Arab Populations

This study examined the relationships between zero-sum thinking, system justification beliefs, and attitudes toward democracy, focusing on individuals from the Middle East and North Africa Region living under different regime types and within diverse social contexts. A cross-sectional survey of 2250 participants living in 50 countries was conducted between September and December 2020. Zero-sum thinking and system justification beliefs were found to be negatively correlated with attitudes toward democracy. The findings revealed that system justification beliefs are more prevalent in regions with more conservative individuals and better socioeconomic conditions, and under authoritarian regimes compared to other regime types. In addition, system justification beliefs are negatively correlated with attitudes toward democracy, regardless of the democratic status of the regime. More importantly, in a moderation model in which system justification beliefs served as the moderator between zero-sum thinking and attitudes toward democracy, a negative regression coefficient was found between zero-sum thinking and system justification beliefs, and a positive correlation was observed between zero-sum thinking and attitudes toward democracy. Our findings highlight the importance of considering system justification beliefs when analyzing how zero-sum thinking shapes political attitudes, particularly toward democracy, in diverse cultural and political contexts.