We tend to prefer political candidates with higher levels of education — here’s why

By Emily Reynolds What makes us vote for particular candidates often goes beyond their politics. Research has suggested that our voting preferences can be influenced by our own self-identity, candidates’ perceived beauty, and even the depth of their voices. A new study looks at another factor that could sway our choices: education. Writing in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Jochem van Noord and team find that people with low or high levels of education both prefer more educated politicians — but the reasons for this preference may be different for each group. In the first study, participants with varying levels of education were presented with four fictitious profiles of political candidates. Profiles indicated that candidates either had a masters degree or a high school diploma, and described activities that they had completed during university or school. Candidates were presented as either progressive or conservative. After reviewing the profiles, participants rated the candidates’ competence, agency, warmth, and morality. They also indicated how likely they were to vote for them and to what extent they felt they identified personally with the candidate. The results showed that, overall, participants not only viewed higher educated candidates as more competent, but were more likely to vote for them (in fact, the belief that more educated candidates were more competent could partly explain why participants were more likely to vote for th...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Political Social Source Type: blogs