Personalities Discussing Politics

Author(s)
Hyunjin Song, Hajo Boomgaarden
Abstract

Research suggests that individuals’ personality traits are uniquely related to the patterns of their social interactions. This study addresses whether and how personality traits condition the social interaction patterns when people discuss politics in their immediate social environment. We explore the interactive relationship between discussion partners’ personality traits, disagreement, and expertise when they discuss the economy and immigration. Combining a multilevel approach with a propensity score analysis, this examination of a nationally representative sample of Austrian citizens finds that, although political agreement may motivate individuals to frequently discuss politics, not all citizens are equally affected by expertise, nor is such influence identical for different discussion topics.

Organisation(s)
Department of Communication
Journal
International Journal of Communication (IJoC)
Pages
92-115
ISSN
1932-8036
Publication date
2019
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
508006 Communication theory
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/personalities-discussing-politics(94f6ce9a-7c03-4b0e-ae32-f89ff85c523b).html