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26 April 2023 Genes, personality, and political behavior
A replication and extension using Danish twins
Aaron Weinschenk, Christopher Dawes, Robert Klemmensen, Stig Hebbelstrup Rye Rasmussen
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Abstract

In this article, we examine whether there is genetic overlap between personality traits and political participation, interest, and efficacy. We make several contributions to the literature. First, we use new data from a large sample of twins from Denmark to examine the link between genes, the Big Five traits, and political behavior. Previous research in this area has not examined the Danish context. Second, because our measures have some overlap with those used in previous studies, we are able to examine whether previous findings replicate in a different sample. Finally, we extend the literature by examining the possible genetic link between some personality and political traits that have not yet been explored. Overall, we find that genes account for a fairly large share of the correlation between two of the Big Five personality traits (openness and extraversion), political participation, and political interest. Thus, most of the relationship between these personality traits and our measures of political behavior can be accounted for by a common underlying genetic component.

Aaron Weinschenk, Christopher Dawes, Robert Klemmensen, and Stig Hebbelstrup Rye Rasmussen "Genes, personality, and political behavior
A replication and extension using Danish twins," Politics and the Life Sciences 42(1), 4-16, (26 April 2023). https://doi.org/10.1017/pls.2022.11
Published: 26 April 2023
JOURNAL ARTICLE
13 PAGES

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KEYWORDS
Big Five
genes
Genopolitics
heritability
personality
political behavior
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