Rigidity-of-the-Right and Ideological Extremism in Belief Superiority: Evidence From National Surveys in Indonesia.

Abstract

Previous research in the United States has examined the Rigidity of the Right and Ideological Extremism hypotheses as they pertain to belief superiority. The former hypothesis predicts that conservatives possess higher levels of belief superiority than liberals, whereas the second hypothesis predicts that belief superiority is higher for ideologically extreme individuals than more moderate individuals. This study aims to examine these hypotheses in Indonesia. Unlike the United States, Indonesian political ideology often emphasizes the dichotomy between secular and religious beliefs. However, we expect similar results due to shared similarities, especially with regard to adherence to traditional values and authorities. We also investigated whether the relationship between ideology and belief superiority varied based on political expertise. Across two national surveys, we found evidence for both the Rigidity of the Right hypothesis and the Ideological Extremism hypothesis. These findings remained significant even after controlling for dogmatism. Political expertise did not consistently moderate these relationships. We discuss the implications of these results for the debates surrounding ideological extremism versus the right-rigidity hypothesis in political psychology.