How a twin study untangled the surprising roots of authoritarian political beliefs

People who complete more years of formal education tend to score lower on measures of right-wing authoritarianism, a trait characterized by strict obedience to leaders and adherence to traditional norms. A recent study of twins reveals that while part of this connection may be a direct result of schooling, most of the link is explained by the childhood environments and genetics that siblings share. These results were recently published in the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Following the horrors of the Second World War, psychologists initiated a massive effort to understand why certain populations enthusiastically support dictators and oppressive regimes. Understanding which factors lead people to support authoritarian regimes remains a matter of the greatest practical importance, just as it was when the academic field originated. Early researchers identified a personality profile they called right-wing authoritarianism. Individuals with high levels of this trait show a strong willingness to defer to established authorities, while demanding that others do the same.

These individuals also desire to see others punished if they deviate from established social traditions, and they prefer strict enforcement of conservative moral values. For decades, this psychological variable has been prominent in academic research. It consistently predicts political affiliation, fundamentalist religiosity, and hostility toward marginalized groups. The potency of authoritarian preferences is particularly strong when societies face threats of a social or cultural nature.

Given the current global prevalence of societal threats ranging from mass migration to viral pandemics, understanding the origins of individual differences in authoritarian predispositions is highly relevant. Researchers studying political psychology have historically observed a strong inverse relationship between how much time a person spends in school and their level of authoritarianism. University graduates are routinely found to be less supportive of authoritarian policies than people who end their education after high school.

Substantial differences between the most and least formally educated populations are found in attitudes regarding gender roles, sexuality, and childrearing practices. Many scientific theories have been proposed to explain exactly why this educational divide happens. Some researchers suggest that higher education exposes students to diverse viewpoints, which directly challenges their assumptions and reduces their need for rigid societal rules.

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Other experts argue that the sense of economic and social security typically provided by a college degree makes authoritarian policies feel less necessary. Alternatively, the relationship might simply reflect the fact that people who are already open to new experiences are both more likely to pursue higher education and less likely to hold authoritarian views. Distinguishing between a direct effect of education and the effect of underlying traits has proven exceptionally difficult in modern psychology.

To address this persistent question, a team led by Nikolai Haahjem Eftedal at the University of Oslo mapped out the various factors that influence both education and political attitudes. Working alongside colleagues from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and New York University, Eftedal wanted to see if the correlation between schooling and ideology remains after accounting for invisible variables. They decided to look at twins, who offer a unique window into the hidden forces of genetics and upbringing.

The researchers recruited 1,284 individuals from the Norwegian Twin Registry to participate in the project. This massive historical database contains detailed health and demographic information for scientists to study. For this specific project, the group consisted of identical twins, who share all of their DNA, and fraternal twins, who share about half of their DNA on average. Because twins generally grow up in the same household at the exact same time, they also share a specific set of environmental influences.

By comparing sets of twins who ended up with different levels of education, Eftedal and his colleagues could isolate different types of influences. If higher education truly causes a reduction in authoritarian views, an individual who went to college should be less authoritarian than their identical twin who only finished high school. Both twins share the exact same genetic code and the exact same upbringing, so any differences in their adult perspectives would likely stem from their differing educational paths or uniquely personal life events.

The team asked participants to report their highest level of completed education. They also had them complete a widely used set of survey questions designed to measure authoritarian leanings. Participants rated their agreement with statements regarding old-fashioned values, the need to punish deviants, and the importance of free thinkers who challenge tradition.

Additionally, participants estimated their household social class from both their childhood and their current adult life. The researchers used a visual scale resembling a ladder, where the top steps represented people with the most money and respect. Participants indicated which step of the ladder their family occupied compared to the rest of the country.

When the team analyzed the data, they confirmed the standard pattern observed in previous psychological studies. Educational attainment and authoritarianism had a pronounced negative correlation. However, the twin design allowed the scientists to break this broad correlation down into its specific component parts.

The statistical models estimated that 47 percent of the overlap between education and lower authoritarianism was the result of shared environmental factors. This means that elements of a twin’s shared upbringing simultaneously boosted their likelihood of going to college and depressed their tendency toward authoritarianism. Roughly 15 percent of this total shared environmental effect was traced back directly to the family’s social class during childhood. Growing up in a wealthy, high-status household seems to organically encourage advanced schooling while steering children away from rigid conservative ideologies.

An additional 25 percent of the relationship was tentatively attributed to shared genetics. While the researchers calculated this influence, they noted that the genetic connection was not statistically significant on its own. Inherited traits, such as natural cognitive ability or deeply ingrained personality characteristics, might still influence both a person’s academic trajectory and their political orientation. For instance, people born with a high openness to new experiences might naturally gravitate toward universities and naturally repel authoritarian dogma.

After accounting for both shared upbringing and shared genetics, the researchers found that 28 percent of the original correlation remained unaccounted for. This leftover portion aligns with the theory that education has a genuine, direct impact on a person’s adult worldview. Though they could not definitively label it as an absolute causal effect, the persistent relationship within identical twin pairs strongly supports the idea that formal education independently softens authoritarian impulses.

The research team also looked closely to see if adult income and status played a specific role in this ideological process. They tested an established theory that education leads to higher income, which in turn provides a sense of security that makes authoritarianism less attractive. The results did not show any statistical support for this specific progression. Earning a higher socioeconomic status in adulthood did not explain the missing link between a university degree and a tolerant worldview.

Despite the robust methodology, the study has a few limitations that warrant attention in future reviews. All the participants were Norwegian citizens between the ages of 55 and 70. The educational systems and cultural norms they experienced during their youth might differ from those of younger generations or people living in other parts of the world. Generalizing these results to modern college students or populations outside of Northern Europe requires basic caution.

The scientists also noted that they lacked data on the specific college majors or types of degrees the participants pursued. Some past research suggests that studying the humanities or social sciences is more strongly linked to decreased authoritarianism than studying finance or engineering. Identifying exactly what type of university experience influences political psychology remains an open question for future analysis.

Moving forward, the research team suggests expanding similar study designs to include spouses, children, and extended family members. Doing so would help scientists understand how people choose romantic partners with similar political views, a common phenomenon known to inflate estimates of genetic and environmental overlap. More precise, objective measurements of wealth and social capital could also refine our understanding of how resources shape our political reality.

The study, “The Relationship Between Educational Attainment and Right-Wing Authoritarianism: A Discordant Twin Study,” was authored by Nikolai Haahjem Eftedal, Thomas Haarklau Kleppestø, Nikolai Olavi Czajkowski, Espen Moen Eilertsen, Espen Røysamb, Olav Vassend, Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington, and Lotte Thomsen.