A new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality highlights how perceptions of dark tetrad traits—Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism—in politicians influence voter behavior, focusing on the 2020 U.S. presidential election, comparing perceptions of Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
While prior research has studied voters’ personalities, this study centered on the perceived traits of political leaders. Monika Prusik was motivated by global political trends, including the rise of populism and the personalization of politics, to investigate how these traits might affect electoral outcomes.
The study included 456 American participants recruited from MTurk (ages 20-70, 42.2% Democrats, 45.7% Republicans). Participants rated the dark tetrad traits of Trump and Biden using an adapted version of the Short Dark Tetrad scale, assessing each trait separately for both candidates. This 28-item scale included questions such as “This presidential candidate believes it’s unwise to let people know his secrets” for Machiavellianism and “This presidential candidate likes to show off every now and then” for narcissism. Participants rated each item for both candidates on a seven-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. They also reported their willingness to vote for each candidate. Sociodemographic information, such as political affiliation and education, were also collected.
Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden were perceived as exhibiting dark tetrad traits, though the degree and nature of these traits varied between candidates. Trump was rated significantly higher than Biden on narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism, whereas Machiavellianism was attributed to both candidates at similar levels. These perceptions were strongly influenced by political affiliation.
Democrats attributed higher levels of dark traits, particularly narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism, to Trump while viewing Biden more favorably. In contrast, Republicans perceived Biden as possessing more dark traits than Democrats did but still rated Trump as slightly higher in narcissism.
The study also revealed an asymmetry in the way these traits were evaluated: narcissism and Machiavellianism were sometimes viewed as advantageous, particularly when attributed to a preferred candidate, whereas psychopathy and sadism consistently reduced support. Biden’s narcissism was viewed positively across political affiliations, whereas Trump’s narcissism had a polarizing effect, increasing Republican support but decreasing Democratic support.
Voter willingness was shaped by how these traits were perceived in the candidates. In general, narcissism and Machiavellianism were associated with higher support for a candidate, while psychopathy and sadism led to decreased support. Democrats’ willingness to vote for Biden increased when they perceived him as more narcissistic, while Republicans responded positively to narcissistic traits in both candidates, though the effect was stronger for Trump.
Interestingly, voters’ perceptions of a candidate’s dark traits also influenced their willingness to vote for the opposing candidate. For example, higher perceived levels of psychopathy and sadism in Biden were linked to an increased likelihood of voting for Trump, while greater perceptions of Trump’s Machiavellianism led to increased willingness to vote for Biden among Republicans.
These findings suggest that perceptions of dark tetrad traits in political candidates play a significant role in shaping electoral preferences, but their impact is complex and mediated by partisanship.
Of note is that this study relied on subjective perceptions of candidates rather than objective measures, potentially influenced by media portrayals and political biases.
The study, “Dark tetrad traits in politicians and voter behavior: Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election,” was authored by Monika Prusik.