Worldview and gun attitudes among American youth and young adults

Abstract

Pro-gun attitudes among youth and young adults are associated with both current and future gun carrying, as well as future involvement in gun violence. However, there has been limited research into the correlates and predictors of pro-gun attitudes in these age groups, even though youth and young adults are the age groups most at risk of gun violence. We examined the extent to which worldview – that is, pre-political beliefs about individualism and egalitarianism – are associated with gun attitudes in a nationally representative sample of younger Americans ages 10–34. First, we used latent profile analysis to classify respondents into one of three discrete worldview profiles. We then used linear regression to examine the association between worldview profile and gun attitudes, finding that worldview profiles characterized by individualistic and hierarchical attitudes are positively associated with pro-gun attitudes. Finally, we explored whether the association between worldview and gun attitudes varied by age, observing stronger associations among the older individuals in the sample. These findings highlight the importance of considering worldview when developing prevention approaches to reduce gun violence among youth and young adults.