ARTICLE
Personality Traits, Income, and Economic Ideology
Bert N. Bakker,
Corresponding Author
Bert N. Bakker
University of Amsterdam
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Bert N. Bakker, Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1001 NG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorBert N. Bakker,
Corresponding Author
Bert N. Bakker
University of Amsterdam
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Bert N. Bakker, Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1001 NG, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
While the psychological underpinnings of social ideology are well established, less is known about the psychological underpinnings of economic ideology. In this study, I assess whether Big Five personality traits are associated with economic ideology and when personality traits are more strongly or more weakly associated with economic ideology. I hypothesize that low income attenuates the association between the Big Five traits and economic ideology. Studies conducted in Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States show that Conscientiousness is positively correlated with economic conservatism, while Agreeableness and Neuroticism are negatively correlated with economic conservatism. Moreover, low income attenuates the association between personality traits and economic ideology. I report a weaker association between Agreeableness and economic ideology among poor people compared to wealthier people in all three countries. Low income also attenuates the association between economic ideology and the traits Openness (Denmark), Extraversion (United Kingdom), and Neuroticism (United States). I contribute to the literature addressing the psychological correlates of economic ideology by showing that (1) economic ideology has a distinct set of personality correlates and (2) low income attenuates the association between some personality traits and economic ideology.
Supporting Information
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| pops12349-sup-0001-suppinfo1.pdf1 MB |
Appendix A. Sample Description Study 1: Denmark Appendix B. Sample Description Study 2: United Kingdom Appendix C. Sample Description Study 3: United States Appendix D. Full Interaction Models Appendix E. Controlling for Political Interest Appendix F. Controlling for Political Knowledge Appendix G. Interaction Using Categorical Indicator of Income Appendix H. Mediation Analyses Appendix I. Personality a Moderator of the Effect of Income on Economic Ideology Appendix J. Ordered Logistic Regresstion (UK sample) |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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