The Personality Divide Between Citizens and PoliticiansThe Case of the Four Largest Spanish Parties

  1. Galais, Carol 1
  2. Coller, Xavier 2
  1. 1 Departament de Ciència Política i Dret Públic, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
  2. 2 Departamento de Ciencia Política y de la Administración, Universidad nacional de Educación a Distancia
Revista:
Parliamentary affairs: A journal of representative politics

ISSN: 0031-2290

Año de publicación: 2024

Volumen: 77

Número: 1

Páginas: 88-108

Tipo: Artículo

DOI: 10.1093/PA/GSAC023 DIALNET GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Otras publicaciones en: Parliamentary affairs: A journal of representative politics

Resumen

Despite the alleged increasing importance given to politicians’ personalities, the similarities and differences between citizens and politicians regarding their personality traits have been insufficiently studied. This research analyses the personality similarities and differences between citizens and politicians in Spain across party allegiances and ideologies. For this, we use two representative surveys for citizens and MPs. Our results show that Spanish politicians are a more homogeneous population—regarding their personality traits—than Spanish citizens, and that Spanish MPs are more sociable and imaginative and less lazy and artistic than the average citizen, which is consistent with a ‘politician’s personality’.

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