HomeStudy Reveals Left-wing People More Globally Minded And Generous

Study Reveals Left-wing People More Globally Minded And Generous

Published on

The results of a survey conducted among 46,000 individuals from 68 countries suggest that conservative ideologies are less commonly associated with altruistic tendencies.

This prompts the question: how is the inclination to share with others connected to political orientation?

Researchers from the IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and University of Milan Bicocca have conducted a recent study revealing that individuals with left-leaning political orientations across the globe tend to exhibit higher levels of altruism, both generally and towards the international community.

Conversely, individuals with conservative and right-leaning political beliefs tend to demonstrate higher levels of altruism towards their own country. Although this may seem to confirm a commonly held stereotype, this trend was observed on a global scale through a survey conducted across 68 countries.

Veronica Pizziol and her colleagues analyzed the data collected from over 46,000 participants in 68 countries between April and May 2020 for their recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Conducted by the International Collaboration on the Social and Moral Psychology of COVID-19 (ICSMP COVID-19), the survey focused on examining the psychological factors underlying attitudes and behavioral intentions related to COVID-19. Using the participants’ responses, the study aimed to explore the relationship between political ideology – which captures one’s beliefs and values about society – and generosity.

To assess political ideology, the study asked participants to indicate their political orientation on a scale ranging from 0 (very left-leaning) to 10 (very right-leaning). In order to evaluate generosity, the researchers employed a task wherein participants were given a sum of money and asked to decide what percentage they would keep for themselves and what percentage they would donate to either a national or international charity aimed at supporting COVID-19 protection efforts.

The study analyzed three distinct forms of generosity, including national generosity, which is rooted in localism and focused on supporting one’s home country; international generosity, which is more universalistic in nature and aimed at supporting communities beyond national boundaries; and a third category representing overall generosity, which encompassed the sum of the two previous types.

Veronica Pizziol, the lead author of the study and a PhD student in Economics at the IMT School, explained that after analyzing the survey responses, the researchers observed that individuals with left-leaning political orientations were more inclined to donate in general and demonstrate greater international generosity. In contrast, those with right-leaning political orientations were more likely to donate nationally.

Pizziol further emphasized the consistency of these findings and the measures taken to exclude the influence of other factors that could have potentially skewed the results.

“For example, since the survey was realized during the COVID-19 pandemic, right-leaning people could have shown to be less generous towards COVID-19 charities just because they were less likely to believe COVID-19 to be a big threat. But this was not the case”.

By utilizing a dataset with a broad global coverage, the researchers were able to draw comprehensive conclusions regarding the connection between political ideology and generosity, as well as investigate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship at the country-level.

According to Roberto Di Paolo, an Assistant Professor at the IMT School, the researchers identified the quality of governance as a significant factor contributing to cross-country differences. By utilizing the Worldwide Governance Indicator provided by the World Bank, the study demonstrated that the quality of governance has a moderating effect on the correlations between political ideology and the different measures of generosity.

Put simply, the study revealed that the level of generosity exhibited by both right- and left-wing individuals towards their country and international communities is linked to the quality of national governance. Specifically, in countries where institutions are well-governed, individuals tend to increase their self-interest. This change occurs more rapidly in right-leaning individuals compared to their left-leaning counterparts, and it is accompanied by a decrease in national generosity, which happens at a slower rate for right-leaning individuals.

However, when the quality of governance improves, individuals with right- and left-leaning political ideologies exhibit opposite behaviors towards international charities. Right-leaning individuals tend to donate less, while left-leaning individuals tend to donate more.

Valerio Capraro, the senior author of the paper and an Associate Professor at the University of Milan Bicocca, explains that these seemingly counterintuitive findings suggest that in countries with high-quality governance, individuals with left-leaning political orientations may shift towards embracing “universalistic or individualistic values,” both of which place little emphasis on local boundaries. In contrast, individuals with right-leaning political orientations in countries with high quality governance may react negatively towards universalist values, leading to a cultural backlash that results in an increase in individualism alone.

In conclusion, as the world becomes more interconnected and globalized, it is crucial to comprehend how generosity can extend beyond local boundaries. The study indicates that political ideology plays a significant role in this phenomenon.

Source: 10.1073/pnas.2219676120

Image Credit: Getty

Latest articles

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...

Science Shock: Salmon’s Food Choices Better at Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Salmon: Rich in Health Benefits, Yet May Offer Less Nutritional Value - This is...

More like this

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...