The effects of authoritarianism, religiosity, and "New Age" beliefs on support for democracy: Unraveling the strands

We examined the associations between religious beliefs, "New Age" beliefs, authoritarianism, and endorsement of democratic values among Jewish respondents in Israel. Findings obtained via structural equation modeling show that a) religious individuals are generally drawn to "New Age" beliefs, b) while authoritarians are likely to espouse undemocratic attitudes whether they are religious or not, religious people are unlikely to hold undemocratic attitudes unless they also espouse authoritarian worldviews, and c) "New Age" beliefs may slightly reduce authoritarian tendencies, thus increasing support for democracy. These findings clarify the relationship between "New Age" beliefs and traditional religiosity, and the effects of "New Age "beliefs on support for democracy.