Degree of Authoritarianism Across 56 Countries is Predicted by the Average Personalities of Their Populations
Degree of Authoritarianism Across 56 Countries is Predicted by the Average Personalities of Their Populations Using data on average big 5 personality traits in 56 countries from Schmitt et al. (2007), I tested the hypothesis that the higher order personality traits stability (made up of conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional stability) and plasticity (openness and extraversion) (e.g. Wang et al. 2013) would emerge via factor analysis. I then tested the hypothesis that the degree of civil liberties across these countries (as scored by freedomhouse.org) would be predicted by the average scores on stability and plasticity in the populations of these countries. Both hypotheses were supported, and up to 73% of differences in authoritarianism across these countries was explained by the average scores on stability and plasticity in these countries. Hypothesis 1 Stability Plasticity Agreeableness 0.81 0.14 Conscientiousness 0.87 0.10 Neuroticism -0.80 -0.20 Openness 0.02 0.86 Extrave