I am seeing a lot of discussion on "why don't men like the left" recently.
Here is a thread on sex differences in political ideology that may help to explain why. 🧵
Here is a thread on sex differences in political ideology that may help to explain why. 🧵
Men are consistently more likely to vote Republican.
Even in demographics that lean left (eg Black Americans), men are more likely than women to vote conservative.
cawp.rutgers.edu
Even in demographics that lean left (eg Black Americans), men are more likely than women to vote conservative.
cawp.rutgers.edu
If you ask about socialism and capitalism, men are more likely to support capitalism and less likely to support socialism than women are.
True even for the youngest Americans.
Harris International poll from 2019:
True even for the youngest Americans.
Harris International poll from 2019:
Why though? There are psychological differences between men and women rooted in our evolutionary history.
These are expressed downstream in our political dispositions.
A paper on this here:
tandfonline.com
These are expressed downstream in our political dispositions.
A paper on this here:
tandfonline.com
Men are more oriented towards status-seeking behavior.
A model of status-enhancing behavior is given by Henrich and Gil-White in the paper above.
It has been highly replicated across cultures.
A model of status-enhancing behavior is given by Henrich and Gil-White in the paper above.
It has been highly replicated across cultures.
This model has two pathways to status: prestige and dominance.
Do you think that the political left, or the political right, is more aligned with promoting male prestige and dominance in order to rise in social status?
Do you think that the political left, or the political right, is more aligned with promoting male prestige and dominance in order to rise in social status?
Men score higher in the personality construct of social dominance orientation - this predicts support for social hierarchies.
Does the left, or the right, endorse social hierarchies more?
Highly cited review on SDO here:
tandfonline.com
Does the left, or the right, endorse social hierarchies more?
Highly cited review on SDO here:
tandfonline.com
Cross-cultural predictors of status in this thread.
Big ones for men: having money, being physically dominant, athletic, a successful career, and sexual prowess.
Does the left, or the right, explicitly endorse these?
Big ones for men: having money, being physically dominant, athletic, a successful career, and sexual prowess.
Does the left, or the right, explicitly endorse these?
Big Five personality traits predict political ideology. And these also differ for men and women on average.
Traits that women score higher in also correlate with left wing political ideology.
annualreviews.org
Traits that women score higher in also correlate with left wing political ideology.
annualreviews.org
A big misunderstanding about political ideology is also the belief that it's a rational position that springs forth from the blank slate of the mind.
The mind is not a blank slate and political ideology springs forth in part from personality, which is heritable.
The mind is not a blank slate and political ideology springs forth in part from personality, which is heritable.
Personality across the board follows the 50-0-50 rule in behavioral genetics.
Between 30-60% of your personality is heritable. This will of course vary from trait to trait:
nature.com
Between 30-60% of your personality is heritable. This will of course vary from trait to trait:
nature.com
Here is the heritability of political ideology and Big Five personality measures (which also predict political leanings) from the paper below.
Chart adapted from a Pew review of this paper.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Chart adapted from a Pew review of this paper.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The brains of people on the left and right have structural differences as well.
sciencedirect.com
sciencedirect.com
This may be a hard pill to swallow for those who think political enemies are terrible people who made a conscious decision to be evil.
If they are evil, you must come to terms with the fact at least part of the variance in their evil is explained by genes.
They were:
If they are evil, you must come to terms with the fact at least part of the variance in their evil is explained by genes.
They were:
A lot of male self-help is focused on relationships. In some of the recent discourse I have seen people on the left say "but I don't struggle in my relationships, it must be them."
I want to point something out - the left is not doing any better with relationships.
I want to point something out - the left is not doing any better with relationships.
Conservatives are more likely to be married and more likely to be happy in their marriages.
Recent nationally representative statistics from the GSS 2021:
Recent nationally representative statistics from the GSS 2021:
Recent paper and thread on differences in sexual behaviors between Republicans/Democrats and liberals/conservatives:
Conservatives were more likely to be satisfied in their relationships across all satisfaction measures.
Many related results here:
Conservatives were more likely to be satisfied in their relationships across all satisfaction measures.
Many related results here:
It seems to be a misconception that incels are right wing as well. If you're on the left perhaps they will look that way to you, but it is not how incels position themselves politically:
Political ideology IMO is notoriously bad at explaining human behavior. This is because party politics are far downstream of human psychology.
Yet the entirety of the "why don't men like the left" discourse has been political opinions.
Not much research or psychology.
Yet the entirety of the "why don't men like the left" discourse has been political opinions.
Not much research or psychology.
The political take that I think is closest to the research above is basically: "people choose politics that are in their own interest."
Men have interests - on a psychological and material level - that are not entirely shared with women and that are more endorsed by the right.
Men have interests - on a psychological and material level - that are not entirely shared with women and that are more endorsed by the right.
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