How is the Big Five related to moral and political convictions: The moderating role of the WEIRDness of the culture

Abstract

There has been extensive research on how the Big Five personality traits are related to political orientation and endorsement of moral foundations. However, recent findings suggest that these relationships may not be cross culturally stable. We argue that how much a culture is WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) could moderate how the Big Five is related to political and moral convictions. In a sample of 7263 participants from 30 countries, our results showed that the level of WEIRDness of the culture moderated (1) the associations of agreeableness and openness with ideology; (2) the associations of extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness with individualizing foundations; and (3) the association of extraversion with binding moral foundations. The results were mixed and some of the interactions were small in magnitude. However, they clearly indicate that the Big Five traits' relationship with moral and political convictions are not cross-culturally stable.