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Income and Ideology: How Personality Traits, Cognitive Abilities, and Education Shape Political Attitudes

Author

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  • Rebecca Morton

    (Department of Politics, New York University)

  • Jean-Robert Tyran

    (Department of Economics, University of Vienna)

  • Erik Wengström

    (Department of Economics, University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

We find that cognitive abilities, educational attainment, and some personality traits indirectly affect ideological preferences through changes in income. The effects of changes in personality traits on ideology directly and indirectly through income are in the same direction. However, the indirect effects of cognitive abilities and education often offset the direct effects of these variables on ideological preferences. That is, increases in cognitive abilities and education significantly increase income, which reduces the tendency of individuals to express leftist preferences. These indirect effects are in some cases sizeable relative to direct effects. The indirect effects of cognitive abilities through income overwhelm the direct effects such that increasing IQ increases rightwing preferences. For ideological preferences over economic policy the indirect effects of advanced education also overwhelm the direct effects, such that individuals with higher education are more likely to express rightwing preferences than those with lower education.

Suggested Citation

  • Rebecca Morton & Jean-Robert Tyran & Erik Wengström, 2011. "Income and Ideology: How Personality Traits, Cognitive Abilities, and Education Shape Political Attitudes," Discussion Papers 11-08, University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:kud:kuiedp:1108
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Rebecca Morton & Jean-Robert Tyran & Erik Wengström, 2016. "Personality Traits and the Gender Gap in Ideology," Studies in Political Economy, in: Maria Gallego & Norman Schofield (ed.), The Political Economy of Social Choices, pages 153-185, Springer.
    2. Nunnari, Salvatore & Proto, Eugenio & Rustichini, Aldo, 2024. "Cognitive Abilities and the Demand for Bad Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 17112, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Alberto Montagnoli & Mirko Moro & Georgios A. Panos & Robert E. Wright, 2016. "Financial Literacy and Political Orientation in Great Britain," Working Papers 2016_23, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    4. Willadsen, Helene & Zaccagni, Sarah & Piovesan, Marco & Wengström, Erik, 2024. "Measures of cognitive ability and choice inconsistency," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 495-506.
    5. Matthew Dimick & Daniel Stegmueller, 2015. "The Political Economy of Risk and Ideology," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 809, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Guillaume R. Fréchette & Andrew Schotter & Isabel Trevino, 2017. "Personality, Information Acquisition, And Choice Under Uncertainty: An Experimental Study," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(3), pages 1468-1488, July.
    7. Toke Reinholt Fosgaard & Lars Gårn Hansen & Erik Wengström, 2017. "Framing and Misperception in Public Good Experiments," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 119(2), pages 435-456, April.
    8. Eva Deuchert & Martin Huber & Mark Schelker, 2019. "Direct and Indirect Effects Based on Difference-in-Differences With an Application to Political Preferences Following the Vietnam Draft Lottery," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(4), pages 710-720, October.
    9. Carl, Noah, 2018. "IQ and political attitudes across British regions and local authorities," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 169-175.
    10. Buser, Thomas, 2024. "Adversarial Economic Preferences Predict Right-Wing Voting," IZA Discussion Papers 16711, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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