Journal of Student Research 2017

Politics on Campus: How Social Hierarchy and Individual Background Affect Political Behavior

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trends in a way that helps develop a greater understanding of political leadership and voter behavior. Important questions, such as who is most likely to become a leader in our political system, who is most likely to vote and be involved politically, and how our system of politics affects specific populations, can be asked. This study was designed to better understand the political opinions and behaviors of students at University of Wisconsin-Stout. Specifically, the goal was to gather information on the students’ political engagement, their ideas regarding an optimal political leader, and their perception of their own leadership qualities. The research can show how college students interact with politics, leadership, and government, and may provide insight into what government and leadership will look like in the future. Literature: Voting and Leadership Behaviors The dichotomy between the Democratic and Republican parties surfaced frequently throughout the literature. Sheldon and Nichols (2009) explain that the Republican Party often emphasizes extrinsic values such as wealth, popularity, and image, while the Democratic Party often relies on intrinsic values such as helping and supporting others to attract voters. Haidt (2008) outlines the differences between the parties based on five moral foundations: harm/care (compassion for others), fairness and reciprocity (how others are treated), in-group loyalty (coming together as one unit for a certain cause), authority or respect (social hierarchy or deference), and purity/sanctity (obtaining virtue through certain practices). Haidt (2008) makes the argument that an individual’s support for a given political party is a direct indicator of character trait differences, guided by how the individual ranks these moral foundations in levels of importance. Those who identify as Democrat tend to place importance on caring and fairness, while those who label themselves Republican often find loyalty, authority and respect, and purity to be of importance. While Haidt (2008) adamantly reiterates that neither viewpoint is inherently wrong nor right, he does point out that those in lower ranks of society, such as women and racial and ethnic minorities, will steer away from conservative ideologies due to the traditional hierarchies that undermine their freedoms and autonomy. Related to Haidt’s (2008) theory, Winter (2010) explores how political parties have become gendered, as voters tend to associate masculinity with the Republican Party and femininity with the Democratic