Social Dominance Orientation and exposure to violence as predictors of support for past peace agreements

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore individual predictors of support for peace agreements after their implementation. The aim is to test if individual differences in Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) temper the effect of exposure to violence on support for peace agreements. One hundred and eighty participants completed measures surveying their SDO, exposure to violence and voting behavior four years after the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC in 2016. Results show that SDO lowers support for the peace agreement four years after it was signed among those who experienced violence but has a smaller effect on those who did not experience violence. The implications of the interaction between SDO and exposure to violence are discussed.

Keywords

• Social dominance orientation
• peace referenda
• peace agreements
• Colombia
• exposure to violence