The genetic underpinnings of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation explain political attitudes beyond Big Five personality

Kleppesto, Thomas Haarklau, Czajkowski, Nikolai Olavi, Sheehy-Skeffington, Jennifer ORCID: 0000-0003-0372-4867, Vassend, Olav, Roysamb, Espen, Eftedal, Nikolai Haahjem, Kunst, Jonas R., Ystrom, Eivind and Thomsen, Lotte (2024) The genetic underpinnings of right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation explain political attitudes beyond Big Five personality. Journal of Personality. ISSN 0022-3506

Text (Sheehy-Skeffington_genetic-underpinnings--published) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB)

• Scopus publication
• Author

Abstract

Objective: Political attitudes are predicted by the key ideological variables of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO), as well as some of the Big Five personality traits. Past research indicates that personality and ideological traits are correlated for genetic reasons. A question that has yet to be tested concerns whether the genetic variation underlying the ideological traits of RWA and SDO has distinct contributions to political attitudes, or if genetic variation in political attitudes is subsumed under the genetic variation underlying standard Big Five personality traits. Method: We use data from a sample of 1987 Norwegian twins to assess the genetic and environmental relationships between the Big Five personality traits, RWA, SDO, and their separate contributions to political policy attitudes. Results: RWA and SDO exhibit very high genetic correlation (r = 0.78) with each other and some genetic overlap with the personality traits of openness and agreeableness. Importantly, they share a larger genetic substrate with political attitudes (e.g., deporting an ethnic minority) than do Big Five personality traits, a relationship that persists even when controlling for the genetic foundations underlying personality traits. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the genetic foundations of ideological traits and political attitudes are largely non-overlapping with the genetic foundations of Big Five personality traits.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14676494
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Authors
Divisions:	Psychological and Behavioural Science
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology J Political Science > JC Political theory
Date Deposited:	20 Mar 2024 09:15
Last Modified:	20 Mar 2024 09:15
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/122431

Actions (login required)

View Item