Article, 2024

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

Journal of Personality, ISSN 1467-6494, 0022-3506, 10.1111/jopy.12921

Contributors

Kleppestø, Thomas Haarklau 0000-0001-5342-3478 (Corresponding author) [1] [2] [3] Czajkowski, Nikolai Olavi 0000-0002-3713-653X [2] [3] Sheehy-Skeffington, Jennifer 0000-0003-0372-4867 [4] [5] Vassend, Olav Benjamin 0000-0002-5964-8835 [2] Røysamb, Espen 0000-0001-5133-7170 [2] [3] Eftedal, Nikolai Haahjem 0009-0006-1328-9861 [2] Kunst, Jonas Rønningsdalen [2] Ystrom, Eivind 0000-0003-4390-6171 [2] [3] Thomsen, Lotte [2] [5]

Affiliations

  1. [1] Norwegian University of Science and Technology
    2. [NORA names: Norway; Europe, Non-EU; Nordic; OECD];
  2. [2] University of Oslo
    3. [NORA names: Norway; Europe, Non-EU; Nordic; OECD];
  3. [3] Norwegian Institute of Public Health
    4. [NORA names: Norway; Europe, Non-EU; Nordic; OECD];
  4. [4] London School of Economics and Political Science
    5. [NORA names: United Kingdom; Europe, Non-EU; OECD];
  5. [5] Aarhus University
    6. [NORA names: AU Aarhus University; University; Denmark; Europe, EU; Nordic; OECD]

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.

Keywords

Norwegian twins, Past research, agreeableness, attitudes, authoritarianism, concerns, contribution, correlation, data, dominance orientation, environmental relationships, foundations, genetic correlations, genetic foundation, genetic overlap, genetic reasons, genetic substrate, genetic underpinnings, genetic variation, ideological traits, ideological variables, non-overlapping, opening, orientation, overlap, personality trait of openness, personality traits, persons, policy attitudes, political attitudes, reasons, relationship, research, right-wing authoritarianism, samples, social dominance orientation, substrate, testing concerns, traits, traits of openness, twin, underpinnings, variation

Funders

  • Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education
  • Danish National Research Foundation
  • The Research Council of Norway

Data Provider: Digital Science

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