Altemeyer's (1988) Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWA) was translated into Hebrew and Arabic and tested for reliability and validity. Seven hundred and eight Jewish undergraduate students, and 120 Moslem Palestinian students studying at a university in the occupied territories, completed the RWA and a demographic questionnaire. RWA scores of right-wing party supporters were significantly higher than those of left-wing party supporters, and scores of secular subjects in both societies were lowest. RWA scores of right-wing subjects remained significantly higher than those of left-wing subjects when religiosity was controlled. The results confirm the validity of the RWA, tested here in two languages in two societies that for years have been involved in bloody conflict. RWA scores and religiosity levels were lower in the Jewish Israeli society than in the Moslem-Palestinian one. The results are discussed within the sociopolitical context of the two societies.
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