Several demographic factors can indicate whether you’re more likely to lean liberal or conservative. But according to an article published in June in the British Journal of Political Science, there’s another unexpected trait that might factor into who you want to vote for: your height.
Authors Raj Arunachalam and Sara Watson wrote that by “using height as a proxy for economic well-being” they found a nearly linear correlation between being taller and being more conservative. The data for the study came from the 2006 sample of the British Household Panel Survey that polls more than 12,000 adults in the United Kingdom annually on their demographics and political preferences.
“Taller individuals are more likely to support the Conservative Party, support conservative policies and vote Conservative,” they wrote, adding that “a one-inch increase in height increases support for Conservatives by 0.6 per cent.” Every thousand pounds (about $1300 today) added to a person’s annual earnings also made their support two to three percentage points more likely, according to the study.
The trends found in the study remained consistent, even when controlling for race, religion, educational levels and marital status, the authors wrote. The upward support for conservatives also manifested regardless of gender, though men were more likely to support conservatives more strongly as their height increased.
It’s not the first time income has been tied to more conservative political preferences, or that height has been linked to increased income. One study on lottery winners showed they were more likely to identify as Republican after they obtained their winnings, and another study referenced by The Atlantic contended that being an inch taller correlates to about $800 more in a paycheck every year.
And one 2006 paper suggested that taller people might also have an intellectual advantage. In the Journal of Political Economy, Anne Case and Christina Paxson suggested that “taller adults hold jobs of higher status and, on average, earn more than other workers…because they are smarter.”
But there is one exception: support for conservatives eventually “flattens, and even dips slightly” near the end of the scale for exceptionally tall individuals.
The study was limited to the United Kingdom and did not examine political preferences stateside. But it’s worth noting Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is 6’2”, an inch taller than outgoing Democratic president President Barack Obama.
Comments