RELATIONSHIP AMONG PERSONALITY, RELIGIOSITY, AND POLITICAL ORIENTATION USING STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to establish the relationship among personality (Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness), religious orientation (Religious Fundamentalism), and political orientation (Conservatism). A total of 363 respondents of a state-funded regional university in the Southeast participated in this survey. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method was used to examine three models depending on the personality traits, assuming 1) each of the personality traits (Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) influence religious orientation, as well as 2) political orientation, and 3) the religious orientation influence political orientation. The results showed that each of the models had a good model fit to the data. Main findings can be summarized as follows: Religious fundamentalism influenced political tendency; Openness personality trait negatively affected individuals' religious fundamentalism; and Agreeable personality trait negatively affected individuals' political conservatism.