Authoritarianism, economic threat, and the limits of multiculturalism in post‐migration crisis Germany

Objective The purpose of this article is to investigate the associations between submissive authoritarianism, multiculturalism, and perceived economic threat. More specifically, it explores whether the effects of multiculturalism on authoritarianism are moderated by perceived economic anxieties. Methods An original data set was collected using the online platform Qualtrics, which consisted of a stratified sample of 1010 complete responses from a German non‐probability sample in January 2019. Results In simple additive models, multiculturalist attitudes show a statistically significant depressing effect on authoritarianism, while economic threat significantly increases it. However, when multiculturalist attitudes are interacted with perceived economic threats, the depressing effect of multiculturalism on authoritarianism wanes. While low levels of economic threat demonstrate a statistically significant depressing effect of multiculturalism on authoritarianism, at higher levels of economic threat, this effect wanes and becomes statistically insignificant. Conclusion This article shows that turning away from inclusionary policies may lead not only to a withering of multiculturalism but also to an increased tendency to succumb to authoritarian temptations, particularly in a climate of rising economic anxieties.