Superstitious belief is not always a marker of authoritarianism, as New Age values show

Evidence

But did the number of ghost stories also increase? Were there more articles about dowsers, fortune tellers, vampires, numerology, and “lucky signs”? I also am bothered that researchers can find archival evidence for things that are probably not there. The Berkeley theory (the one from the university, not Busby) did state that superstition was an integral part of the authoritarian personality. But the “superstition” items on the F Scale (which included an item specifically about astrology) never correlated highly with the core of the test. I know of no literature demonstrating that people scoring high on the F Scale were highly superstitious—unless you want categorically to equate being religious with being superstitious (which I would not). Certain famous right-wing individuals may believe in astrology, but you can “prove” anything with individual cases. We shall see in the next chapter that High RWA students are not particularly likely to believe in astrology, perhaps because it is often condemned by religions. — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 4114 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Astrology, manifestation, and pseudoscientific health trends may have been seen as harmless when contained in a cultural space—but what would woo-woo political rebellion look like? — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 614 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Challenging a pivotal F Scale claim, authoritarianism does not reliably predict superstition — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 4114; New Age practices may feed an irrationalist political movement — W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the…, 614; Prosperity gospel merged New Age self-help into mainstream megachurch Christianity — W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the…, 613

Broader Connections

• Challenging a pivotal F Scale claim, authoritarianism does not reliably predict superstition #corroborates (0.95) — Bob Altemeyer, The Authoritarian Specter, 4114
• New Age practices may feed an irrationalist political movement #complicates (0.78) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 614