The Influence of Extraversion on Political Polarization and Affective Forecasting

Abstract

In the United States, political division has continually worsened over the years, with the growing divide between the Left and Right leading to increased animosity between members of the two parties. This study explores this expanding division by analyzing the influence of political polarization on individuals’ willingness to work for a humanitarian cause. Specifically, we examine if an individual’s extraversion rating influences how long they spend on charitable task, or how long they predict they would spend on the task, and if the presence of cues associated with their in-group or out-group would influence their participation as well. This study does so by determining an association between extraversion and the assigned task type (predictor or engager) as well as between extraversion and the party they identify with. It also looked at the correlation of extraversion and time spent on a charitable task supposedly sponsored by a control, co-partisan, or counter-partisan charity organization. Ultimately, we found no association between extraversion and the time spent on the charitable task, nor did it find a link in extraversion and party identification. This study ran into some limitations that may have impacted its overall results – including time constraints and a singular focus placed on the personality trait of extraversion. This study demonstrated the importance of participation within prosocial activities and the implications of activities that influence this participation. To see the complete thesis, please visit https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/d791sh52s.