Personality Approaches to Political Behavior

Abstract

Whether personality is relevant for political behavior is a question that has a long tradition in political psychology. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the state-the-art evidence on the association between personality and political behavior of citizens and politicians. In particular, this chapter focuses on the association between personality and political ideology, voting behavior, political loyalties, political participation, political engagement, and news consumption. The chapter concludes by outlining a research agenda for the next generation of research with attention to the assumed causal effects of personality on political “outcomes.” Future research is also encouraged to adopt open science practices that will increase transparency, replicability, and ultimately the field’s credibility.