Christopher Federico is a political psychologist with joint appointments in psychology and political science at the University of Minnesota. We talk about a new paper in which he and Ari Malka argue that people do not simply become liberal or conservative based on the strength of their psychological needs for security and certainty. Factors like political engagement, national history, and the influence of political journalists, writers, and academics play a role as well.

Related Links

"The contingent, contextual nature of the relationship between needs for security and certainty and political preferences: Evidence and implications" by Christopher Federico and Ari Malka, Political Psychology(Vol. 39, S1, pp. 3-48).

Chris Federico on Twitter

The more education Republicans have, the less they tend to believe in climate change by Kevin Quealy, New York Times

A Wider Ideological Gap Between More and Less Educated Adults, Pew Research Center

Transcript

This is a transcript of the episode.

Rating the Show

If you enjoyed this show, please rate it on iTunes:

* Go to the show’s iTunes page and click “View in iTunes”* Click “Ratings and Reviews” which is to the right of “Details”* Next to “Click to Rate” select the stars.

See the full list of episodes of Half Hour of Heterodoxy >>