TY - JOUR

T1 - Genetic disposition towards educational attainment and intelligence test performance predict voter turnout

AU - Aaroe, Lene

AU - Appadurai, Vivek

AU - Hansen, Kasper Møller

AU - Schork, Andrew J.

AU - Werge, Thomas

AU - Mors, Ole

AU - Borglum, Anders D.

AU - Hougaard, David M.

AU - Nordentoft, Merete

AU - Mortensen, Preben B.

AU - Thompson, Wesley Kurt

AU - Buil, Alfonso

AU - Agerbo, Esben

AU - Petersen, Michael Bang

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - The genetic variance that predicts educational attainment or intelligence test performance predicts individual-level voter turnout in a nationally representative sample and among people with psychiatric conditions, such as depression.Although the genetic influence on voter turnout is substantial (typically 40-50%), the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Across the social sciences, research suggests that 'resources for politics' (as indexed notably by educational attainment and intelligence test performance) constitute a central cluster of factors that predict electoral participation. Educational attainment and intelligence test performance are heritable. This suggests that the genotypes that enhance these phenotypes could positively predict turnout. To test this, we conduct a genome-wide complex trait analysis of individual-level turnout. We use two samples from the Danish iPSYCH case-cohort study, including a nationally representative sample as well as a sample of individuals who are particularly vulnerable to political alienation due to psychiatric conditions (n = 13,884 and n = 33,062, respectively). Using validated individual-level turnout data from the administrative records at the polling station, genetic correlations and Mendelian randomization, we show that there is a substantial genetic overlap between voter turnout and both educational attainment and intelligence test performance.

AB - The genetic variance that predicts educational attainment or intelligence test performance predicts individual-level voter turnout in a nationally representative sample and among people with psychiatric conditions, such as depression.Although the genetic influence on voter turnout is substantial (typically 40-50%), the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Across the social sciences, research suggests that 'resources for politics' (as indexed notably by educational attainment and intelligence test performance) constitute a central cluster of factors that predict electoral participation. Educational attainment and intelligence test performance are heritable. This suggests that the genotypes that enhance these phenotypes could positively predict turnout. To test this, we conduct a genome-wide complex trait analysis of individual-level turnout. We use two samples from the Danish iPSYCH case-cohort study, including a nationally representative sample as well as a sample of individuals who are particularly vulnerable to political alienation due to psychiatric conditions (n = 13,884 and n = 33,062, respectively). Using validated individual-level turnout data from the administrative records at the polling station, genetic correlations and Mendelian randomization, we show that there is a substantial genetic overlap between voter turnout and both educational attainment and intelligence test performance.

KW - GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION

KW - LD SCORE REGRESSION

KW - ENVIRONMENTAL-INFLUENCES

KW - POLITICAL-PARTICIPATION

KW - PERSONALITY-TRAITS

KW - VOTING PREFERENCES

KW - HERITABILITY

KW - BEHAVIOR

KW - GWAS

KW - EFFICACY

U2 - 10.1038/s41562-020-00952-2

DO - 10.1038/s41562-020-00952-2

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33168953

VL - 5

SP - 281

EP - 291

JO - Nature Human Behavior

JF - Nature Human Behavior

SN - 2397-3374

IS - 2

ER -