Personality traits have been posited to function as stable influences on political attitudes and behavior. Although personality traits themselves exhibit high levels of temporal stability, it is not yet known whether the effects of these traits are marked by comparable temporal consistency. To address this question, this research note examines data from Wave 13 ( -2004( ), Wave 15 (2005( -2006 and Wave 17 (2007Wave 17 ( -2008 of the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). Twenty-seven behavioral and 14 attitudinal dependent variables are studied. Consistency of effects is gauged via a series of multilevel models in which personality effects are permitted to vary by year. High levels of temporal consistency are observed for personality traits as represented by the Big Five framework.

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Scholarship on “stealth democracy” finds that many citizens want to avoid the debate and conflict that often come with democratic governance. This scholarship has argued that citizens adopt this posture because they are uncomfortable with disagreement and desire a more expedient political process that enables leaders to make decisions without discussion or compromise. We revisit this argument in light of recent political developments that suggest another reason why citizens may desire a more expedient political process. We examine the possibility that some citizens are not merely uncomfortable with disagreement but also want leaders who will aggressively protect them and champion their interests. Using a nationally representative survey, we ask citizens about their preferences for stealth democracy. We also ask questions that tap into their willingness to support leaders who would “bend the rules for supporters” and take aggressive action against political opponents. We find that a substantial component of the electorate continues to prefer a stealth version of democracy. However, we also find that many “stealth democrats” are willing to support leadership practices that would threaten or even undermine democratic norms. We argue that this evidence indicates that, in recent years, many citizens who appear to desire “stealth democracy” pose a threat to democracy itself.

Much like other forms of civic engagement, many Americans apparently perceive jury "duty" as optional, a circumstance that often has left courts struggling to seat juries. Considering how individuals orient themselves to this often neglected form of civic responsibility facilitates a more holistic understanding of citizen behavior and its antecedents. In this article, we explore the possible effects of resources, barriers and personality traits on jury summons compliance. Data are drawn from a field experiment and corresponding survey conducted in the State of Washington. Results reveal that cultural/linguistic factors act as strong barriers to jury service and that people's personality traits influence summons compliance. Efforts to reduce resource constraints via heightened juror pay brought no positive effect on compliance rates.