"The Hidden Agenda Of The Political Mind"

The Hidden Agenda Of The Political Mind

by Jason Weeden at Psychology Today

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-hidden-agenda-the-political-mind/201412/why-are-there-rich-democrats-and-poor-republicans

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Why do many working-class whites lean Republican? They’re particularly likely to do so when they’re heterosexual, Christian churchgoers with more income than education -- a demographic profile linked to conservative views across a wide range of topics. Move away from this combination of features, and it becomes less and less likely working-class whites are Republicans. And even when they favor Republicans, it’s still the case that poorer people are usually more liberal on redistribution issues. And even when they favor Democrats, it’s still the case that less-educated people are usually more conservative on discrimination issues (as long as they’re not the ones being discriminated against).

And why do many Ivy League graduates lean Democratic? They’re particularly likely to do so when they’re African Americans or other non-white ethnicities, when they’re atheists, Jews, or other non-Christians, when they’re lesbians or gays, when they’re women, when they’re men married to working women, and when they’re not among the super-rich. And even when they do favor Republicans, it’s still the case that the highly educated are usually more liberal on discrimination issues. And even when they favor Democrats, it’s still the case that the richest among them are usually more conservative on redistribution.

Understandably, people who want Democrats to win are disappointed when many working-class whites vote Republican. And, understandably, people who want Republicans to win are disappointed when many of the best-educated people vote Democratic. Often, in fact, these kinds of political motives lead people to conclude that the objects of their disappointment are deficient in some way, that they’re saps who have been brainwashed by conservative media (on the one hand) or radical professors (on the other).

But there’s nothing much the matter with Kansas, just as there’s nothing much the matter with Harvard. Both involve individuals looking for a coalition that best captures their complex array of political issue preferences. When people with modest incomes are also white, heterosexual, Christian churchgoers with less education, the balance typically leans towards Republicans. When people with stellar incomes are also highly educated people in some category that has often been subject to discrimination, the balance typically leans towards Democrats.




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