Do Personality Traits Play a Role in Supporting Indonesian Islamic State? A Study of Fundamentalist Group Members in Indonesia

Abstract

This study is aimed at elucidating the role of Salafi ideology and symbolic threat as mediating variables in the relationship between the personal trait of openness to experience and support for the concept of Islamic political system. A sample of 325 members of three fundamentalist groups in Indonesia voluntarily responded to four scales to four scales, i.e., the openness to experience scale consisting of three items, the symbolic threat scale (three items), the Salafi ideology scale (five items), and the support for an Islamic political system scale (four items). Structural equation modeling was performed to validate the constructed model of mediation. The results showed a good fit for the constructed model. The Salafi ideology and symbolic threat fully mediated the relationship between openness to experience and support for an Islamic political system. These findings suggest that openness to experience may be a prerequisite for negative political values, thus encouraging the respondents to further support the concept of Islamic political system. Additionally, since openness to experience may lead to negative political behaviors, this controversial and dynamic personality trait warrants further exploration.