--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many political scientists used to assume…" description: "\"“Many political scientists used to assume that people vote selfishly, choosing the candidate or policy that will benefit them the most. But decades of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/jonathan-haidt-1823_politics_many-political-scientists-used-to-assume_1410122.jpg" --- # Many political scientists used to assume that people vote… ![“Many political scientists used to assume that people vote selfishly, choosing the candidate or policy that will benefit them the most. But decades of research on public opinion have led to the conclusion that self-interest is a weak predictor of policy preferences. Parents of children in public…” quote by Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/jonathan-haidt-1823_politics_many-political-scientists-used-to-assume_1410122.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/jonathan-haidt-1823_politics_many-political-scientists-used-to-assume_1410122.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/jonathan-haidt-1823_politics_many-political-scientists-used-to-assume_1410122.jpg) > ““Many political scientists used to assume that people vote selfishly, choosing the candidate or policy that will benefit them the most. But decades of research on public opinion have led to the conclusion that self-interest is a weak predictor of policy preferences. Parents of children in public school are not more supportive of government aid to schools than other citizens; young men subject to the draft are not more opposed to military escalation than men too old to be drafted; and people who lack health insurance are not more likely to support government-issued health insurance than people covered by insurance.35 Rather, people care about their groups, whether those be racial, regional, religious, or political. The political scientist Don Kinder summarizes the findings like this: “In matters of public opinion, citizens seem to be asking themselves not ‘What’s in it for me?’ but rather ‘What’s in it for my group?’ ”36 Political opinions function as “badges of social membership.”37”” [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People’s political views are driven more by group identity than personal self‑interest, making opinions a badge of belonging. **In simple terms:** Group identity shapes politics more than self‑interest. Key Takeaway Consider group influences when forming opinions. Themes identity group politics social influence Mood analytical critical reflective Type observational theoretical analytical When to use this quote - voting decisions - policy debates - campaign messaging - public discourse Key Concepts social identity theory group bias collective behavior Questions to Reflect On - How does your group identity affect your political stance? - Can you separate personal benefit from group loyalty? A Different Perspective Group pressure can suppress individual rational analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Political opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-opinions/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Public opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-opinion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/) ## Related quotes > [I want judges on the Supreme Court who will not use that position to impose their personal policy preferences or political agenda on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornyn/i-want-judges-on-the-supreme-court-who-will-not-use-that-position-to/) [John Cornyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornyn/) > [“Shifting the focus from why to how can help people become less radical. 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They are non-negotiable human rights - hard fought and secured in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dunn/tolerance-diversity-and-inclusion-are-not-political-opinions-they-are/) [Andy Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dunn/) > [I have always held those political opinions which point to the universal brotherhood of man, no matter in what rank of life he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mackenzie/i-have-always-held-those-political-opinions-which-point-to-the/) Alexander Mackenzie > [I don't know everybody's political opinions, but I think the majority of people in the arts are pretty leftist, and we're disappointed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-sparks/i-don-t-know-everybody-s-political-opinions-but-i-think-the-majority/) [Paul Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-sparks/) > [“Certainly, I approve of political opinions, but there are people who do not know where to stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/certainly-i-approve-of-political-opinions-but-there-are-people-who-do/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/opinion-polls-consistently-show-that-only-about-5-percent-of-blacks/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [If I'm the president, I will call in all the different political opinions to come together and to make one front to the benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-pena-nieto/if-i-m-the-president-i-will-call-in-all-the-different-political/) [Enrique Pena Nieto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-pena-nieto/) > [“People living on others' goodwill cannot afford political opinions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thanhha-lai/people-living-on-others-goodwill-cannot-afford-political-opinions/) [Thanhha Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thanhha-lai/) > [Political dissension is doubtless a less evil than the lethargy of despotism: but still it is a great evil, and it would be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/political-dissension-is-doubtless-a-less-evil-than-the-lethargy-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I'm entitled to my political opinions, and I get to vote because I'm an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/i-m-entitled-to-my-political-opinions-and-i-get-to-vote-because-i-m/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [When we make political films, there are people with political opinions. They try to discredit you and run you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-agnihotri/when-we-make-political-films-there-are-people-with-political-opinions/) [Vivek Agnihotri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-agnihotri/) > [When are we left-wingers going to learn that we are losing the cultural and political battle with conservatives because we are fractured into narcissistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/when-are-we-left-wingers-going-to-learn-that-we-are-losing-the/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) [Browse all 67 Political opinions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-opinions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Many political scientists used to assume that people vote selfishly, choosing the candidate or policy that will benefit them the most. But decades of research on public opinion have led to the conclusion that self-interest is a weak predictor of policy preferences. Parents of children in public school are not more supportive of government aid to schools than other citizens; young men subject to the draft are not more opposed to military escalation than men too old to be drafted; and people who lack health insurance are not more likely to support government-issued health insurance than people covered by insurance.35 Rather, people care about their groups, whether those be racial, regional, religious, or political. The political scientist Don Kinder summarizes the findings like this: “In matters of public opinion, citizens seem to be asking themselves not ‘What’s in it for me?’ but rather ‘What’s in it for my group?’ ”36 Political opinions function as “badges of social membership.”37”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Haidt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/many-political-scientists-used-to-assume-that-people-vote-selfishly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Political opinions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/many-political-scientists-used-to-assume-that-people-vote-selfishly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/jonathan-haidt-1823_politics_many-political-scientists-used-to-assume_1410122.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/jonathan-haidt-1823_politics_many-political-scientists-used-to-assume_1410122.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3f/jonathan-haidt-1823_politics_many-political-scientists-used-to-assume_1410122.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Many political scientists used to assume that people vote selfishly, choosing the candidate or policy that…” — Jonathan Haidt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jonathan Haidt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Many political scientists used to assume...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/many-political-scientists-used-to-assume-that-people-vote-selfishly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/many-political-scientists-used-to-assume-that-people-vote-selfishly/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```