Context specific personality associations with political ideology are shaped by geographical variation

Geographical context influences the relationship between personality traits and Conservatism across the USA. Using data from the Synthetic Aperture Personality Assessment (SAPA) project, we analyzed 154,960 participants residing in 8,708 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and found notable interactions between personality traits and local levels of Conservatism; such that, the relationship between individual-level personality traits and Conservatism was moderated by average local levels of Conservatism. That is, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion positively related, and Neuroticism negatively, to Conservatism in ZCTAs that were more conservative on average, while Agreeableness and Extraversion were more negatively related to individual-level Conservatism in less conservative ZCTAs. Ultimately, certain personality traits function to enable individuals to get along and get ahead in their socio-cultural environments, which highlights the importance of considering geographical context in personality research. Our results build on our previous research and suggest a need to consider Context Specific Personality Associations (CSPAs) when studying personality traits as they relate to ideologies and behaviors.