Partisan Differences in Personality Trait Evaluation by Members of Congress

• In Event: Personality and Predispositions

Abstract

Recent work in political psychology has focused on personality traits of both elites and masses to explain a wide variety of political behavior. With some notable exceptions, much of this research has been conducted using survey methods, which raises important questions of political bias in the responses, especially among members of the mass public who may have less personal knowledge of the personality traits of elites. Using a novel survey of former members of the United States House of Representatives, we show that, despite the possession of greater levels of personal knowledge of the personality traits of the subjects, the severing of the electoral connection, and the lack of institutional party pressure, partisan differences persist in how Congressional leaders are rated on their Big Five personality traits. These results raise questions about the utility of using direct surveys to elicit personality measurements of potentially divisive political actors.

Authors

• Adam Ramey, New York University Abu Dhabi

• Jonathan D. Klingler, University of Mississippi

• Gary E. Hollibaugh, University of Pittsburgh