2026 Research Days
Binghamton Research Days Student Presentations

The Big 5 Personalities and the Social Dominance of Authoritarianism

Author: Casey Guan

Field of Study: Political Science

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Easel: 35

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Personality can greatly influence decision-making and this project builds upon previous research to connect the Big 5 Personality Factors with politics, specifically with Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). SDO measures an individual's preference for inequality and hierarchy in groups. This project will measure personality with a survey administered to Binghamton University students that compares the Ten Item Personality Measure (TIPI) and SDO with a shortened version of the SDO7. Additionally, the survey will measure the level of concern about authoritarianism and the current U.S. presidential administration. Given previous research, it is hypothesized that higher agreeableness will correlate with lower SDO and subsequently more concern about authoritarianism and the current U.S. presidential administration. If these results are true, it would strengthen the correlation between SDO and personality, and its effects on political attitudes.