Political participation rooted in genes

SAN DIEGO, July 4 (UPI) -- California researchers say genes influence participation in a wide range of political activities, including elections.

James H. Fowler and Christopher T. Dawes of the University of California, San Diego, and Laura A. Baker of the University of Southern California identify a link between two specific genes and political participation.

The study shows that individuals with a variant of the MAOA gene are significantly more likely to have voted in the 2000 presidential election.

The initial research is based on voter turnout records in Los Angeles matched to a registry of identical and non-identical twins. The comparisons show that identical twins, who share 100 percent of their genes, are significantly more similar in their voting behavior than fraternal twins who share only 50 percent of their genes on average.

The study indicates that 53 percent of the variation in voter turnout is due to differences in genes. The results also suggest that, contrary to decades of conventional wisdom, family upbringing may have little effect on children's future participatory behavior.

The findings are published the American Political Science Review and published in the Journal of Politics.