AUTHORITARIANISM AND ATTITUDES TOWARD AIDS VICTIMS

This study investigated the relationship of authoritarianism and attitudes toward AIDS victims in three samples. One hundred fifty-eight students at Oregon State University participated, including 101 students from the United States, 25 from Japan, and 32 from other Asian societies. The survey instrument included the 20-item Attitudes Toward AIDS Victims (ATAV) Scale, the 18-item F Scale, Form A, and the 14-item Formal Content of Dogmatism Scale. Results showed slight but significant correlations between the ATAV and F (r =. 17, p <.044) and Formal Content of Dogmatism (r =.20, p <.023) Scales for the United States sample. Highly significant differences were found in the predicted direction among the three samples on authoritarianism, F = 43.94, p <.001. © 1990 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.