Does Biology Justify Ideology? The Politics of Genetic Attribution.

ABSTRACT: Conventional wisdom suggests that political conservatives are more likely than liberals to endorse genetic explanations for many human characteristics and behaviors. Whether and to what extent this is true has received surprisingly limited systematic attention. We examine evidence from a large U.S. public opinion survey that measured the extent to which respondents believed genetic explanations account for a variety of differences among individuals as well as groups in society. We find that conservatives were indeed more likely than liberals to endorse genetic explanations for perceived race and class differences in characteristics often associated with socioeconomic inequality (intelligence, math skills, drive, and violence). Different ideological divisions emerged, however, with respect

SUBMITTER: Suhay E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4567596 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature