Genes Influence Party Affiliation

According to a new scientific research, it may be that your very genetic makeup provides a clear indicator of whether you are, or will be, more inclined to rally with Democrat or Republican ideals. The work was conducted by an international group of experts, and was published in the latest issue of the journal Political Research Quarterly. This is a publication of the Western Political Science Association. The results are amazing, especially when considering the fact that most people pride themselves on having weighed all the pros and cons of political parties, before rallying to their ideals.

Modern political sciences give a very special meaning and currently dedicate a lot of attention to a concept known as political party identification (PID). This happens mostly because, until just recently, experts believed that socialization and social factors were the main determinants of a person's political beliefs. Each individual's background, personal choices and view of the world were until not long ago thought to be very important factors in PID. But a new body of studies appears to cast this view aside.

Parental socialization was, for example, considered to be one of the most important factors in PID. Families tend to have the same political orientation, and children take after their parents in terms of political preferences most of the times. Still, the idea that this is also founded on genetic factors has been largely overlooked by political sciences, therefore largely left untested. Now, the international group used quantitative genetic models to look for the origins of PID, and also its degree, inside the human genetic material. Its paper is entitled “Is There a 'Party' in Your Genes?”

“What are the best approaches and methodologies toward a scientific study of politics? We do not mean to reactivate a no longer productive debate about nature versus nurture, since it now seems clear that both forces operate in tandem. Rather by encompassing both facets – nature and nurture – into an integrated perspective, we believe it is possible to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of human political behavior,” Rose McDermott and Kristen Renwick Monroe, guest editors, write in the journal entry. The new article was part of a mini-symposium entitled “The Scientific Analysis of Politics.”