Attitudes toward Authoritarian Government, Corruption and Obedience to the Law among Lower-secondary Students in Latin America: A comparative analysis

This paper includes analyses of the extent to which student attitudes toward corruption, authoritarian forms of government and disobedience to the law are influenced by different factors at the student and school level across six Latin American countries (Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico and Paraguay). Data from the international and regional assessments will be used in the analyses. Each attitude was measured with data collected with a regional questionnaire which addressed common regional aspects viewed as relevant for the Latin American region. Variables related to student characteristics, home background and school context as well as civic knowledge measured by the ICCS 2009 student test will be used to explain variation in student attitudes. The results will be based on multi-level analysis where different explanatory models are compared across the six countries in the region. The results show that gender and socioeconomic background as well open classroom climate and students’ civic knowledge are negative predictors of student positive attitudes toward corruption, authoritarianism and disobedience to the law. Interestingly, students’ active involvement in community activities appears to be associated with higher levels of acceptance of corruption and authoritarian government. The findings suggest that more knowledgeable students are about civic society, the less likely they are to accept corrupt practices, authoritarian forms of government and breaking the law.