While we all pride ourselves on having developed our political identity after a lengthy period of thoughtful contemplation, it turns out that it’s at least 56 percent thanks to genetics. At least, that’s what a new study outlined by Pew Researchsuggests, complete with some substantial caveats.
Conducted by nine psychologists (including one associated with Pew), the research looks at the political beliefs of sets of twins registered with the Minnesota Twin Registry. While fraternal twins share an upbringing, identical twins share both upbringing and genes. As Pew explains, “if identical twins are significantly more alike in their views than fraternal twins, that’s strong evidence pointing to a genetic basis for the attitude.”
Read the full, original story: You Are a Republican Because of Your Genes. Or in Spite of Them.
