According to a new study published in Political Research Quarterly, genetics play a pivotal role in shaping how we identify with political parties. 

 the researchers examined the sources of party identification and the intensity of that identification using quantitative genetic models. Together with recent social science research analyzing political attitudes and vote choice, they say their findings help provide a more complete picture of the source of partisanship and the complex nature of the political phenotype.

Political party identification (PID) is among the most studied concepts in modern political science. Scholars have long held that PID was the result of socialization factors, including parental socialization. The possibility that partisan identification could be transmitted genetically rather than socially was not considered and largely left untested.

"What are the best approaches and methodologies toward a scientific study of politics?" ask guest editors Rose McDermott and Kristen Renwick Monroe. "We do not mean to reactivate a no longer productive debate about nature versus nurture, since it now seems clear that both forces operate in tandem. Rather by encompassing both facets—nature and nurture—into an integrated perspective, we believe it is possible to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of human political behavior."



Citation: John R. Alford, John R. Hibbing, Nicholas G. Martin, Lindon J. Eaves, 'Is There a "Party" in Your Genes?', Political Research Quarterly, 2009, 62 (3), 584-600; doi: 10.1177/1065912908327606