Political ideology strongly linked to music preference: Study
People who prefer country music, ranging from classic to contemporary, generally tend to align with conservative ideologies.
A recent study by researchers Brianna N. Mack and Teresa R. Martin uncovered an unexplored connection between music preferences and political ideology. The study revealed that individuals aligning with specific political identities tended to have a preference for certain music genres, creating distinctions between rival political groups.
The initial interest in this research emerged in Martin’s research methods course in Fall 2020, where she proposed the topic of exploring the relationship between music preferences and party identification. Mack, an assistant professor of politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan University, found the idea intriguing, pondering whether party polarization extended beyond politics into areas like TV show preferences and clothing choices. The researchers collaborated on the project during Martin’s honors thesis advisorship in 2022-2023.
The study involved an online survey conducted through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (mTurk) platform, gathering responses from 588 participants. The survey covered demographic information, political ideologies, party affiliations, and music preferences. Participants listed their top three favorite music genres, emphasizing the most preferred genre.
The results indicated that individuals favoring country music, encompassing both classic and contemporary styles, tended to lean towards Republican ideologies. This connection highlighted the alignment between country music themes, reflecting traditional values, rural living, and patriotism, and the principles championed by the Republican Party. Conversely, Democrats and liberal-minded individuals exhibited a reduced inclination towards country music, indicating a negative correlation between political leanings and musical preferences. Genres like pop and rap/hip-hop were more popular among respondents identifying as Democrats.
The study’s findings underscore the political dimension of music preferences and their correlation with individuals’ partisanship, suggesting that even music holds a political aspect.
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