TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic predictors of educational attainment and intelligence test performance predict voter turnout
AU - Aarøe, Lene
AU - Appadurai, Vivek
AU - Hansen, Kasper M
AU - Schork, Andrew J
AU - Werge, Thomas
AU - Mors, Ole
AU - Børglum, 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 - 2020/11/9
Y1 - 2020/11/9
N2 - 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 - 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.
U2 - 10.1038/s41562-020-00952-2
DO - 10.1038/s41562-020-00952-2
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33168953
SN - 2397-3374
JO - Nature Human Behaviour
JF - Nature Human Behaviour
ER -