In a recent study summarized in PsyPost ,we learn that depending on their political leanings, women report seeking different traits and qualities in their potential romantic partners.

The study surveyed over 13,000 women who reported they were single and straight. They came from several countries and completed the survey though an app called Clue, in one of 10 languages.

Predictions

a) Before you read on, make some predictions: What kinds of qualities might liberal women be especially looking for? What kinds of qualities might conservative women be especially looking for? Will there be qualities that women will value in a partner, regardless of their politics?

Participants in the survey indicated their political orientation on a seven-point scale, from 0 representing the far-left to 6 representing the far-right. They then rated the importance and preferred level of a wide range of characteristics for an ideal long-term partner. These included preferences for similarity in politics, ethnicity, and religion. They also rated attributes like financial security, success, confidence, intelligence, kindness, and physical attractiveness. Finally, women were asked about their preferences for a partner’s age and height relative to their own.

Questions about the study

b) This was a correlational study. Why? List the 12 variables they measured.

c) Now that you see the full list of the studies variables, make two more specific predictions, given the variables the study actually included.

Here is a description of some of the results:

Women who identified as more right-leaning were more likely to state a preference for a partner of the same ethnicity and the same religion as themselves. This aligns with previous findings that connect conservative viewpoints with a higher valuation of in-group similarity and tradition.[…]

The results showed that women with more right-leaning views tended to place a higher value on a partner being financially secure and successful. These findings are consistent with the idea that a more conservative political stance may be linked to a preference for partners who conform to a masculine, breadwinner stereotype.

A similar pattern appeared regarding a partner’s height. Right-leaning women reported that a man’s height was more important to them in general than it was for left-leaning women. […]

One trait that appeared to transcend political divides was kindness and supportiveness. The study found no meaningful link between a woman’s political orientation and her preference for a kind partner. This suggests that kindness is a universally desired quality in a long-term partner, irrespective of one’s political ideology.

d) Select one of the results described in the quotes above. Sketch a scatterplot of what the result is showing you. Label your axes mindfully–keep in mind that political orientation (on its 7-point scale) should be on one axis (probably the x-axis), and the preference variable should be on the other axis.

Bonus question

Here’s a bonus question!–this study found one curvilinear relationship, as described here.

When it came to shared political beliefs, the relationship was not a simple straight line. Instead, the researchers found that women at both the far-left and far-right ends of the political spectrum placed the highest importance on finding a politically similar partner. Women with more moderate, centrist views considered political alignment to be less important.

e) Sketch a graph of this curvilinear relationship–put the 7-point political orientation scale on the x-axis, and label the y-axis carefully.]

f) Ask a question about the study’s construct and external validity.

You might find answers to your validity questions in the empirical journal article, which was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. (Might be paywalled–if so, try logging in through your university library.)