The Conservatism Paradox: Conservatism Among Teachers Predicts Resistance Even to Conservative Change

Hungary’s educational system has recently undergone significant conservative changes, which have met notable resistance from educators. Cognitive and ideological conservatism, as well as perceived individual and collective professional identity threat, have been linked to such resistance. However, there are gaps in understanding how conservatism and threat perception influence resistance specifically to conservative educational changes. We investigated whether teachers’ levels of conservatism and the vulnerability of their collective and individual professional identity would predict higher resistance to change. A convenience sample of 502 public school teachers from diverse educational levels and regions in Hungary completed an online survey. Using Structural Equation Modelling, we analysed the relationships among conservatism, identity threat, and resistance to change. Higher need for closure predicted greater resistance, whereas ideological conservatism showed mixed effects: right-wing authoritarianism predicted greater resistance, while institutional system justification predicted lower resistance, likely due to its palliative role in affirming the status quo. Findings suggest that teachers’ resistance to educational change is shaped by both a need for security within the policy framework and concerns over professional identity.