So anyone who has read more than a week’s worth of blogs on this site knows that most everyone at eHarmony Labs is a proponent of the idea that similarity is a compelling factor in predicting who will have a successful long-term romantic relationship. Now comes a new study that suggests people vote for politicians that they perceive have similar personalities as themselves.

This new study first reported on over 1,500 Italian voters who rated their own personality and that of two politicians who had run in the last national election. Those voters who had voted for the more conservative politician tended to rate themselves and the candidate as higher in extraversion. Those who had voted for the more liberal candidate also rated the more conservative candidate as high in extraversion but they saw themselves and the more liberal candidate they voted for as higher in agreeableness.

In a second study, the researcher reported on over 6,000 Americans who rated their own personality and the personality of John Kerry and George W Bush. Kerry was rated as higher in openness and Bush higher in conscientiousness. Voters for these candidates also rated their own personalities as similar to their chosen candidates.

So voters, whether Italians or Americans, tend to vote for candidates that are similar to their own personality. It remains to be seen that if voters who have more similarity to their chosen candidates tend to back their candidates for longer periods of time.

Further Reading:

Caprara, G.V, Vecchione, M., Barbaranelli, C. & Fraley, R.C. (2007). When likeness goes with liking: The case of political preference. Political Psychology, 28, 609-632.