Survey research has long treated survey acquiescence as a trait of
personality but the covariation of acquiescence and traditional
measures of personality has never been explored empirically. Based on
the theoretical assumption of this covariation Krosnick (1999) has
proposed that survey satisfying could have genetic foundations. This
finding was confirmed using a twin design (Littvay 2009). The current
study uses a genetically informative twin dataset to empirically
explore the relationship between survey acquiescence and personality.
Additionally it tests if the covariation stem from genetic or
environmental underlying sources. Findings show significant
relationship and genetic covariation between four of the big 5
personality measures. Interestingly the personality trait that does
not exhibit a significant relationship is agreeableness. It appears
that even in this highly overpowered study there is no empirical
evidence for environmental covariation between personality and
acquiescence with the exception of neuroticism. Since the molecular
genetics of personality is heavily studied with specific genes
identified as predictors of personality this research is an important
first step in the identification of candidate genes influencing survey
response styles. This study identifies candidate genes to be tested
as contributors of acquiescence.
Presented by:
Levente Littvay (Central European University, Budapest, Hungary) [presenting] Matthew V. Hibbing (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Date & time:
September 8, 2010 12:00 pm - September 8, 2010 1:00 pm
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