TY - JOUR
T1 - The Civic Personality: Personality and Democratic Citizenship
AU - Dinesen, Peter Thisted
AU - Nørgaard, Asbjørn Sonne
AU - Klemmensen, Robert
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - This article examines the foundations of democratic citizenship along three dimensions: generalised trust in other people norms of citizenship; and participation in organisations. Contrary to previous research, which mainly focuses on situational factors, this article scrutinises how individual predispositions, in terms of personality traits, influence the three dimensions of democratic citizenship. In accordance with recent research, personality is conceptualised according to the Big Five personality model encompassing the five traits Openness (to experience), Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. Based on a nationally representative Danish survey, which includes a 60-item Big Five personality inventory, we show that personality traits to a considerable extent influence all three dimensions of democratic citizenship. Furthermore, for norms of citizenship and organisational involvement, the personality traits have differential impacts contingent on the norm and type of organisational involvement in question.
AB - This article examines the foundations of democratic citizenship along three dimensions: generalised trust in other people norms of citizenship; and participation in organisations. Contrary to previous research, which mainly focuses on situational factors, this article scrutinises how individual predispositions, in terms of personality traits, influence the three dimensions of democratic citizenship. In accordance with recent research, personality is conceptualised according to the Big Five personality model encompassing the five traits Openness (to experience), Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. Based on a nationally representative Danish survey, which includes a 60-item Big Five personality inventory, we show that personality traits to a considerable extent influence all three dimensions of democratic citizenship. Furthermore, for norms of citizenship and organisational involvement, the personality traits have differential impacts contingent on the norm and type of organisational involvement in question.
KW - Faculty of Social Sciences
KW - democratic citizenship
KW - generalised trust
KW - Big Five personality model
KW - citizenship norms
KW - organisational involvent
U2 - 10.1111/1467-9248.12094
DO - 10.1111/1467-9248.12094
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0032-3217
VL - 62
SP - 134
EP - 152
JO - Political Studies
JF - Political Studies
IS - s1
ER -