Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2005 Effects of Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Threat from Terrorism on Restriction of Civil Liberties J. Christopher Cohrs ∗ Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany Sven Kielmann University of Trier, Germany J¨ urgen Maes University of Trier, Germany Barbara Moschner Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany In an Internet survey (N = 275), we investigated how right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), social dominance orientation (SDO), personal values, and political ideol- ogy predicted attitudes toward restriction of civil liberties and toward surveillance measured one year later. Feelings of threat from terrorism were also taken into account. RWA, SDO, political ideology, security values, and self-direction values were significant predictors. In addition, RWA interacted with threat from terrorism, in that threat reinforced the positive effect of RWA on support for surveillance mea- sures. Thus, the study contributes to the understanding of psychological reasons for support for political measures related to civil liberties. Shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, laws were passed that restrict civil liberties. For example, in the United States the USA PATRIOT Act, passed on October 26, 2001, facilitates surveillance and eavesdropping of ∗ Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Dr. J. Christopher Cohrs, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, International Graduate College, Wildstr. 1, 07743 Jena, Germany [e-mail: christopher.cohrs@uni-jena.de]. We thank Frank Asbrock, Sabine Pahl, and Thomas Petzel for helpful comments on earlier versions of this article. C  2005 The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues