Rejecting authoritarianism: When threats to democracy shape values

Abstract As politicians with authoritarian tendencies win elections globally, it becomes urgent to understand the social psychological mechanisms underlying support for such candidates. Prior research identifies authoritarianism as a likely predictor of vote choice. Contrary to views of authoritarian parenting as a stable, exogenous disposition, however, we argue that such attitudes can also evolve during campaigns, as voters take cues from elites. Analyzing AmericasBarometer data and a five‐wave panel study, this paper assesses authoritarian parenting values over Brazil's 2018 presidential campaign. Consistent with prior literature, authoritarian parenting attitudes early in the campaign predict who supported and opposed the authoritarian candidate Bolsonaro. However, these attitudes change over the campaign. This polarization is asymmetric, limited to Bolsonaro's opponents, who become increasingly anti‐authoritarian. The results illuminate how polities can resist authoritarian leaders and call for a reconsideration of authoritarianism in the public.