Prejudice against veiled Muslim women: The role of right-wing authoritarianism and intergroup anxiety

Abstract

A series of terrorist acts involving women in various parts of the world, including in Indonesia, allegedly perpetrated by radical Muslim groups, has reinforced stereotypes and created prejudice against veiled Muslim women. This study aims to explain the role of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and intergroup anxiety as antecedents of prejudice against veiled Muslim women. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study sample (N = 403) were residents of Surabaya, selected using accidental sampling. RWA, intergroup anxiety, and prejudice against veiled Muslim women were measured using a questionnaire, while the research hypothesis was analyzed using multiple regression. The results show that RWA and intergroup anxiety play significant roles in explaining prejudice against veiled Muslim women (R = 0.826; R2 = 0.682; F = 428.68; p 0.001), with the relative contribution of RWA and intergroup anxiety being 34% and 66% respectively. The results and implications of the study are discussed in detail. The theoretical implication of the research is that RWA and intergroup anxiety play roles as antecedents of prejudice against veiled Muslim women.