TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic and environmental influences on the stability of political attitudes
AU - Rasmussen, Stig Hebbelstrup Rye
AU - Weinschenk, Aaron
AU - Ksiazkiewicz, Aleksander
AU - von Bornemann Hjelmborg, Jacob
AU - Nørgaard, Asbjørn Sonne
AU - Klemmensen, Robert
PY - 2024/10
Y1 - 2024/10
N2 - It has been established across several contexts that political attitudes are informed by heritable factors. However, it remains unclear how much of the stability we observe in political attitudes can be ascribed to environmental factors and how much of the stability is due to genetics. In this paper we show, using a unique three-wave panel dataset of twins (N = 2471) spanning ten years, that both environmental and genetic influences are important in explaining the stability of social and economic ideology. However, we find that changes in ideology over time are explained by environmental factors for both social and economic ideology. For social ideology, only the shared environment is important in explaining changes over time. For economic ideology, both shared and unique environmental factors influence changes over time. Our results suggest that stability and change in political attitudes is a complex phenomenon that is best understood when examining heritable as well as social factors.
AB - It has been established across several contexts that political attitudes are informed by heritable factors. However, it remains unclear how much of the stability we observe in political attitudes can be ascribed to environmental factors and how much of the stability is due to genetics. In this paper we show, using a unique three-wave panel dataset of twins (N = 2471) spanning ten years, that both environmental and genetic influences are important in explaining the stability of social and economic ideology. However, we find that changes in ideology over time are explained by environmental factors for both social and economic ideology. For social ideology, only the shared environment is important in explaining changes over time. For economic ideology, both shared and unique environmental factors influence changes over time. Our results suggest that stability and change in political attitudes is a complex phenomenon that is best understood when examining heritable as well as social factors.
KW - Heritability
KW - Ideology
KW - Latent growth model
KW - Political orientations
KW - Twin model
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85197487483&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2024.112777
DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2024.112777
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85197487483
SN - 0191-8869
VL - 229
JO - Personality and Individual Differences
JF - Personality and Individual Differences
M1 - 112777
ER -