Personality determines which party you vote for.

Election day is approaching fast. But are you still having trouble deciding which party to vote for? Don't worry. If you’ve recently taken a personality test, you can get some guidance.

The independent SOM Institute, affiliated with the University of Gothenburg, conducts annual surveys regarding our opinions and values. In conjunction with the last general election, the institute interviewed just over 1,500 Swedish voters about their political choices; participants also took a personality test based on the so-called Five-Factor Model. This self-assessment test measures Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability (the inverse of Neuroticism). Although it exists in various forms and under different names, it is now widely used in recruitment.

Results from the SOM Institute show that your personality influences which party you vote for. Voters who support the Social Democrats and the Left Party tend to be more socially adept, more open to new experiences, and slightly more emotionally unstable. In contrast, conservative voters are more extroverted, goal-oriented, and traditional in their thinking. This difference is particularly pronounced when comparing them to voters of the Left Party and the Green Party; supporters of these parties are characterized by greater emotional sensitivity and a keener curiosity about the world around them—they possess a more open mindset.

Few studies measuring the link between political sympathies and personality have been conducted in Sweden, whereas the United States has a long tradition of such research. Republican voters—such as those who voted for George W. Bush—are primarily characterized by being goal-oriented and extroverted. In contrast, Democratic voters—such as those who voted for Barack Obama—tend to be more socially adept, open-minded, and emotionally sensitive.

The results align with our own research. As early as the beginning of the 2000s, Professor Bo Ekehammar and his research team demonstrated strong negative correlations between Openness, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability (based on the Five-Factor Model). These traits form a cluster, and the team found that individuals scoring low on them also tended to be more prejudiced. (In our own research, we also observed that participants were more inclined to try to manipulate their answers in this type of self-assessment test).

At the same time, the associations are not particularly strong, neither in the SOM Institute’s data nor in our own research. Thus, there can be significant differences at the individual level. However, at the group level, the results are statistically significant; they are not due to chance. The differences exist, even if they are somewhat reduced when controlling for gender, age, education, and income.

The greatest personality difference between left-wing and right-wing voters lies in how agreeable and goal-oriented they perceive themselves to be. Left-wing voters, including Green Party supporters, are more agreeable and open-minded, whereas right-wing voters are more goal-oriented and extroverted. Sweden Democrat voters at the same time, score low on agreeableness; they are more confrontational and tend to want to retaliate if they are mistreated.

At the same time, Liberal voters are a particularly interesting group. Their supporters tend to be very open-minded, while also possessing a strong sense of purpose, an extroverted nature, and emotional stability. In terms of the Five-Factor Model, they can thus be described as right-leaning supporters with an open mind. Is this why the Liberals are currently part of the right-wing government, yet flirt with the red-green bloc and might consider switching sides?

Sources:

Svenska Dagbladet, 1th september 2026.

Fokus, 30 July-12 August 2026. Den banala ondskan – en gång till. Holmqvist, R.

SOM-institut,Omgiven av väljare, vem är egentligen röd och vem ör egentligen blå?Roos, J., Carlander, A. 2022.