Monday, April 10, 2006
political stereotypes and decisions
some stereotypes of the average left and right american seem to hold up. a new survey of voter personality suggests that the average center-left voter is friendlier and more benevolent, cooperative, polite, and open. the center-right voter is more secure, energetic, traditional, and conscientious.
of course, it is unclear whether such traits and values make one more likely to be a liberal or conservative, or whether "membership" in an ideological community or thinking about the logical consequences of one's ideology bends personality over time (a la cognitive dissonance perhaps?). to answer this question, we'd have to discover which came first, personality or ideology, or if they are reciprocally influential.
the statistical significance* of these results implies that there is such a thing as one true "liberal" and "conservative," casting doubt on the idea of at least one kind of diversity in political parties. in fact, a new study by dan klein (PDF) surveyed a large group of academics on voting behavior and policy issues. results indicate that policy preference among conservatives is rather diverse, with wide-ranging views on tariffs, drug controls, marriage, etc. however, modern liberalism was not such a big tent philosophy. liberal academics, it turns out, give nearly the same response to most policy questions.
so given the results of klein's study in light of this new one, it may be that traits and values commonly held by liberals lend themselves more readily to interpreting policy in one particular way. that is, their personality characteristics are a more useful or universal "lens" through which to interpret societal ideas.
then are conservative decisions based on more rational calculations? conservatives should not toot their horns too soon, as recent evidence suggests that most individuals, regardless of ideology, make their policy decisions based on emotion rather than rational thought. so perhaps conservative values and traits are just less relevant to the political world (which may make sense looking at the traits; i don't think this kind of "energetic" has anything to do with enron).
*interestingly, emotional stability was not strongly correlated with either voting pattern. :)
of course, it is unclear whether such traits and values make one more likely to be a liberal or conservative, or whether "membership" in an ideological community or thinking about the logical consequences of one's ideology bends personality over time (a la cognitive dissonance perhaps?). to answer this question, we'd have to discover which came first, personality or ideology, or if they are reciprocally influential.
the statistical significance* of these results implies that there is such a thing as one true "liberal" and "conservative," casting doubt on the idea of at least one kind of diversity in political parties. in fact, a new study by dan klein (PDF) surveyed a large group of academics on voting behavior and policy issues. results indicate that policy preference among conservatives is rather diverse, with wide-ranging views on tariffs, drug controls, marriage, etc. however, modern liberalism was not such a big tent philosophy. liberal academics, it turns out, give nearly the same response to most policy questions.
so given the results of klein's study in light of this new one, it may be that traits and values commonly held by liberals lend themselves more readily to interpreting policy in one particular way. that is, their personality characteristics are a more useful or universal "lens" through which to interpret societal ideas.
then are conservative decisions based on more rational calculations? conservatives should not toot their horns too soon, as recent evidence suggests that most individuals, regardless of ideology, make their policy decisions based on emotion rather than rational thought. so perhaps conservative values and traits are just less relevant to the political world (which may make sense looking at the traits; i don't think this kind of "energetic" has anything to do with enron).
*interestingly, emotional stability was not strongly correlated with either voting pattern. :)
Labels: decision making, ideology, political
the trackback URL for "political stereotypes and decisions" is: http://haloscan.com/tb/sullifred/114451339396648865
trackbacks for this post temporarily listed here
is so a nice name a blog lile the name flying hedehogs
By
lizzie, at
Tue Apr 11, 12:10:00 AM
Are you sure the inconsistency of "conservative" positions doesn't simply reflect the fact that libertarian voters are often labeled conservative? I bet if you first bisected the "conservative" group into social conservatives and libertarians, you'd have a lot more consistency in their answers.
By
Anonymous, at
Tue Apr 11, 09:29:00 PM
I would say that a focus on individualism, broadly defined, would lead a group to more heterogenous opinions. It could also be that a personal elevation of some trait, say, equality or security over entrepreneurship and liberty would lead to a more homogenous conclusion -- increased state control (ensures security -- the very idea of a safety net). I am willing to bet, also, Nikki, that your personality traits would have strong gender correlations adn professional correlations. One would expect professors to have homogenous views of security and egalitarianism -- they enter a field in which the sole focus of work is security (tenure)and risk aversion (no one is ever "wrong" as an academic, just uninteresting. I bet more emergency room surgeons, holding healthcare policy positions constant, are conservative. When they are wrong people die).
-JC
By
Anonymous, at
Tue Apr 11, 10:05:00 PM
glad you like the name, lizzie :)
anonymous #1, good point, that may be part of it, although the study did allow respondents to designate themselves as libertarian as well (and 12, or 1.17% of respondents, did so), and also as green. one did designate him/herself as both libertarian and republican. interestingly, seven (.68%) designated as both democrat and republican. anyway, the part of the study i’m talking about only analyzed policy responses in the democrat vs. republican respondents. the beginning of the paper gives many reasons for this, including the one you mention – republicans and libertarians vary on policy decisions so much that it would throw the sample. they note that republicans are closer to democrats on most issues.
By
ns, at
Tue Apr 11, 11:14:00 PM
interesting points JC, i'm still digesting them. according to your profession-based values theory, it's interesting that academics, who should value conservative traits like tradition and security, are the most liberal. hm. but again, perhaps those "conservative" values don't correlate to policy decisions whereas other values they hold (like those discussed in this survey, openness, benevolence, etc.) do.
i also wonder about gender correlations, although unfortunately the study isn't broken down that way. :(
By
ns, at
Tue Apr 11, 11:24:00 PM
Post a Comment