The Relationship Between Openness to Experience and Willingness to Engage in Online Political Participation Is Influenced by News Consumption

Abstract

Openness to experience is known to be an independent predictor of online political behavior, although the degree to which this relationship is influenced by other factors has not been tested. One objective of this study was to test whether the relationship between openness to experience and the propensity to engage in online political participation is mediated by internal political efficacy and hours spent consuming news. The second objective was to determine if a preference for different news sources would be related to a willingness to participate in online political behavior. University students (n = 419) were assessed on willingness to engage in online political participation, hours dedicated to news consumption, preference for different news sources, and internal political efficacy. Our results showed that openness to experience was related to a willingness to engage in online participation, and this was mediated by hours spent consuming news and internal political efficacy (95% confidence interval [CI] = [.0048, .32]). A preference for both semipublic and private news sources was related to greater internal efficacy (95% CI = [.2347, 1.4799]), which was in turn related to a greater propensity to engage in online political participation. These findings highlight the potential importance of news consumption for a propensity toward online political engagement.

Privilege and Marginality: How Group Identification and Personality Predict Right‐ and Left‐Wing Political Activism

“…In particular, we propose that openness to experience (McCrae, 1996), often found to correlate with left-wing or status quo rejecting beliefs (Carney, Jost, Gosling, & Potter, 2008;Gerber, Huber, Doherty, & Dowling, 2011;Hirsh, DeYoung, Xu, & Peterson, 2010), is a trait likely to foster an interest in the possibilities offered by social change, and that it therefore predicts left-wing political activism (but not RWA), perhaps among those with both marginalized and privileged identities. In addition, openness has been found to be linked to liberal ideologies (McCrae, 1996), political participation (Gerber et al, 2011;Jordan et al, 2015;Omoto, Snyder, & Hackett, 2010), and LWA (Curtin et al, 2010). In addition, openness has been found to be linked to liberal ideologies (McCrae, 1996), political participation (Gerber et al, 2011;Jordan et al, 2015;Omoto, Snyder, & Hackett, 2010), and LWA (Curtin et al, 2010).…”

“…Marginalized individuals, on the other hand, seek out opportunities for individual upward mobility, and if those efforts fail they find ways to view their group in a positive light, or work toward social change to improve as a group (Tajfel & Turner, 2004). For example, the literature suggests that beliefs, like endorsing or rejecting system justification, and personality traits, like openness to experience, are also important factors (see, e.g., Curtin, Stewart, & Duncan, 2010;Jordan, Pope, Wallis, & Iyer, 2015). However, group membership only takes individuals part of the way toward political mobilization.…”

“…However, group membership only takes individuals part of the way toward political mobilization. For example, the literature suggests that beliefs, like endorsing or rejecting system justification, and personality traits, like openness to experience, are also important factors (see, e.g., Curtin, Stewart, & Duncan, 2010;Jordan, Pope, Wallis, & Iyer, 2015). Jost, Banaji, and Nosek (2004) point out that depending purely on intergroup membership when predicting people's orientation to social justice leads us to an oversimplified and inaccurate picture:…”

Openness to experience, work experience and patient safety

“…), participation (Jordan et al . ), creativity, curiosity and non‐conventionality (DeYoung et al . ).…”

“…Among personality traits, openness to experience (hereafter, openness, defined as the tendency to be imaginative, sensitive, creative, curious and non-conventional) has been examined as a potential driver of various individual characteristics and behaviours, including competence (Herzhoff & Tackett 2012), intelligence (Ziegler et al 2012), participation (Jordan et al 2015), creativity, curiosity and non-conventionality (DeYoung et al 2012). In nursing contexts, openness has been shown to affect timely and effective assistance provided to patients (Teng et al 2007).…”