Prosocial Phenotype Predicts Political Views on Hierarchy and Redistribution 18 Months Later

Abstract

Cross-sectional research has identified robust correlations between prosocial behavior in economic games and political views, but this research is limited in its ability to draw causal inferences. Here, we conducted a longitudinal cross-lagged panel study of prosociality and political views with a New Zealand sample (n = 631). Across two waves separated by 18 months, we measured self-reported political views and employed a battery of economic games to estimate people’s general preferences for prosociality. We found that this “prosocial phenotype” predicted future variation in some of our measures of political views, including Social Dominance Orientation and support for income redistribution. Income attribution beliefs and political party support were not consistently related to the prosocial phenotype over time. None of these variables predicted future variation in the prosocial phenotype. These results suggest that prosocial predispositions may play a causal role in the expression of certain political views.