Factors That Govern Preference of Political Ideology

-Given that multiple political ideologies exist, this suggests that there is no one ultimate political ideology, as it would imply rejection of all other ideologies

-“We tend to believe our political views have evolved by a process of rational thought, as we consider arguments, weigh evidence, and draw conclusions. But the truth is more complicated.”

-There are numerous factors that govern people’s choices of ideology, whether it is from the perspective of the rulers or of those ruled

-These would include family, gender, religion, race and ethnicity, genetics , personality , income, cognitive ability and education and more

-The focus of our discussion is not on this particular topic, but a few of the factors will be demonstrated in order to show the influences of these factors on people’s preference of political ideology

- Families are generally the first, and often the most enduring, influence on young people's developing political opinions. The more politically active your family is, the more likely you are to hold the same beliefs. Thus, family can influence political beliefs

- Personality traits have significant, small, indirect effects on ideological preferences through their effects on income. To be specific, it was found that individuals who have higher levels of Emotional Stability are more likely to make higher incomes, which indirectly leads these individuals to express more rightwing preferences.

-Genetics play a role as well. John Hibbing, a University of Nebraska political scientist, has done research that showed that identical twins share more political beliefs than fraternal twins. They also, of course, share more genes. Hibbing stated “40, perhaps 50 percent of our political beliefs seem to have a basis in genetics,” Although it must be mentioned that genetics do