Research unveils powerful bond: political ideology shapes music taste

A recent research endeavor by Brianna N. Mack and Teresa R. Martin has uncovered a previously unexamined connection between individuals’ musical tastes and their political affiliations. The study demonstrates that people’s political identities tend to align with their preferences for specific music genres, setting them apart from those with opposing political views.

Brianna N. Mack, an assistant professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, shared with Psypost how the idea originated from Martin during a research methods course in the fall of 2020. Martin suggested investigating the correlation between music preferences and party identification for her final paper. Mack found the concept intriguing, considering the potential of political polarization to influence non-political realms of life, such as entertainment and fashion choices, sparking an interest in the intersection of pop culture and politics.

Mack further explained that the project evolved from a pilot study conducted by Martin in a public opinion course in fall 2021, leading to a collaborative effort on this project while Martin worked on her honors thesis in the 2022-2023 academic year.

To gather data, Mack and Martin utilized Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform to conduct an online survey, which collected responses from 588 individuals. The survey sought detailed demographic information from participants, including their age, gender, and ethnicity, as well as their political ideologies, affiliations, and musical preferences. Participants were prompted to list their top three favorite music genres in descending order of preference.

The analysis of the survey results revealed a significant trend: fans of country music, ranging from traditional to modern styles, were more likely to identify with Republican values. This suggests a connection between the genre’s focus on conventional themes, such as rural life and patriotism, and the ideals upheld by the Republican Party. In contrast, those who align with Democratic or liberal viewpoints were less inclined to favor country music, indicating a negative relationship between their political orientation and this musical genre.

Furthermore, the study found that genres like pop and rap/hip-hop resonated more with individuals identifying as Democrats. This pattern underscores Mack’s observation to PsyPost that music preferences can indeed be political, reflecting a linkage between individuals’ favored music genres and their political leanings.