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The Behavioral Immune System Shapes Political Intuitions: Why and How Individual Differences in Disgust Sensitivity Underlie Opposition to Immigration

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  • AARØE, LENE
  • PETERSEN, MICHAEL BANG
  • ARCENEAUX, KEVIN

Abstract

We present, test, and extend a theoretical framework that connects disgust, a powerful basic human emotion, to political attitudes through psychological mechanisms designed to protect humans from disease. These mechanisms work outside of conscious awareness, and in modern environments, they can motivate individuals to avoid intergroup contact by opposing immigration. We report a meta-analysis of previous tests in the psychological sciences and conduct, for the first time, a series of tests in nationally representative samples collected in the United States and Denmark that integrate the role of disgust and the behavioral immune system into established models of emotional processing and political attitude formation. In doing so, we offer an explanation for why peaceful integration and interaction between ethnic majority and minorities is so hard to achieve.

Suggested Citation

  • Aarøe, Lene & Petersen, Michael Bang & Arceneaux, Kevin, 2017. "The Behavioral Immune System Shapes Political Intuitions: Why and How Individual Differences in Disgust Sensitivity Underlie Opposition to Immigration," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 111(2), pages 277-294, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:111:y:2017:i:02:p:277-294_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Mark Pickup & Eline A. de Rooij & Clifton van der Linden & Matthew J. Goodwin, 2021. "Brexit, COVID‐19, and attitudes toward immigration in Britain," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(5), pages 2184-2193, September.
    2. Adam M. Enders & Jason Gainous & Kevin M. Wagner, 2022. "Say it again with feeling: Issue ownership and candidate communication using Twitter," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(4), pages 959-974, July.
    3. Theodore Samore & Daniel M T Fessler & Adam Maxwell Sparks & Colin Holbrook, 2021. "Of pathogens and party lines: Social conservatism positively associates with COVID-19 precautions among U.S. Democrats but not Republicans," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(6), pages 1-26, June.
    4. Kevin Arceneaux & Johanna Dunaway & Stuart Soroka, 2018. "Elites are people, too: The effects of threat sensitivity on policymakers’ spending priorities," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(4), pages 1-8, April.
    5. Xavier Fernández-i-Marín & Carolin H Rapp & Christian Adam & Oliver James & Anita Manatschal, 2021. "Discrimination against mobile European Union citizens before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown: Evidence from a conjoint experiment in Germany," European Union Politics, , vol. 22(4), pages 741-761, December.
    6. Jozef N. Coppelmans & Fieke M. A. Wagemans & Lotte F. Dillen, 2024. "An empirical investigation of emotion and the criminal law: towards a “criminalization bias”?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17, December.
    7. Dražanová, Lenka & Gonnot, Jérôme & Heidland, Tobias & Krüger, Finja, 2023. "Which individual-level factors explain public attitudes toward immigration? A meta-analysis," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 287732, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    8. Yoshiaki Kubo & Isamu Okada, 2022. "COVID-19 health certification reduces outgroup bias: evidence from a conjoint experiment in Japan," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Bogatzki, Tamara & Glaese, Jana Catalina & Stier, Julia, 2023. "Disease and prejudice: risk attribution to ethno-racial groups over the course of a pandemic," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue Latest Ar, pages 1-23.
    10. Jordan Mansell, 2020. "Causation and Behavior: The Necessity and Benefits of Incorporating Evolutionary Thinking into Political Science," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1677-1698, September.
    11. Dražanová, Lenka & Gonnot, Jérôme & Heidland, Tobias & Krüger, Finja, 2022. "Understanding differences in attitudes to immigration: A meta-analysis of individual-level factors," Kiel Working Papers 2235, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    12. Olga Semenova & Julia Apalkova & Marina Butovskaya, 2021. "Spatial and Social Behavior of Single and Coupled Individuals of Both Sexes during COVID-19 Lockdown Regime in Russia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-15, April.
    13. Vanda Veréb & Helena Nobre & Minoo Farhangmehr, 2022. "Cosmopolitan tourists: the most resilient travellers in the face of COVID-19," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 16(3), pages 503-527, September.
    14. Rheault, Ludovic & Musulan, Andreea, 2020. "Explaining Support for COVID-19 Cell Phone Contact Tracing," SocArXiv 8wcgz, Center for Open Science.

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