Hohe, Edward: How Personality Shapes Our Search For Political Information
Title: How Personality Shapes Our Search For Political Information
Name: Edward Hohe
Home Institute: Drake University
Programs: RISE program
Other contributors: Richard Lau, Amy Funck
Abstract: Literature external to political science suggests Big Five personality traits – particularly openness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability – are correlated with discordant information searches. These results have yet to be tested in the political context. Research at the intersection of personality and political information traditionally focuses on whether information is gathered and what individuals do with acquired information. This project examines the impact personality traits have in partisan biases in electoral information searches. Our contribution clarifies further the role personality plays in understanding which individual differences predispose individuals to be less likely to entertain and seek discrepant information. In our approach, participants completed a personality assessment identifying their place on each of the Big Five personality spectrums. Additionally, participants engaged in a simulated primary and general election during which they searched for information about candidates to inform their votes. Our findings suggest conscientiousness is correlated with the proportion of in party searching during the primary. Additionally, openness is correlated with total unique information searches and for the quantity of total out-party searches throughout the simulation.
Biography: Edward Hohe is a rising senior at Drake University. He studies Political Science and Rhetoric. During the academic year, Edward does policy research at The Harkin Institute. This summer, he was able to work with Professor Lau on a project to better understand personality and information searching behavior. Edward plans to pursue a Ph.D. in American Politics after he graduates. He thanks the RISE program and his mentors Professor Lau and Amy Funck for their guidance and support this summer.