Salzburg Authoritarianism Study - Wave 1 to Wave 4 (SUF edition)

Full edition for scientific use. The Salzburg Authoritarianism Study is commissioned by the Robert Jungk Library for Future Studies in Salzburg and was launched in 2017 as a long-term initiative. Since its beginning, it has been conducted in collaboration with the Department of Sociology at the University of Salzburg (project leader: Wolfgang Aschauer). To date, four waves of data collection have been completed (2017, 2019, 2021, and 2024). The core aim of the Salzburg Authoritarianism Studies is to empirically investigate contemporary authoritarian dynamics and to shed light on processes that point to underlying societal conflicts in society. In addition to monitoring authoritarian and anti-egalitarian attitudes over time using well-established concepts and sophisticated scales, we consistently integrate special thematic modules to enable in-depth analyses of the current social climate.
In 2021 we explored skepticism toward COVID measures and conspiracy mentality as facets of authoritarianism. The 2024 wave of the study deals with ideological orientations and their links to authoritarian attitudes, as well as prevailing views on major societal arenas of debate such as redistribution, migration, gender diversity, and climate protection.
The Salzburg Authoritarianism Study thus serves as a vital barometer for Austria in general and for Salzburg in particular, capturing shifts in politically and socially relevant attitudes, their impact on social cohesion, and their broader implications for the future.