Western Kentucky University
Regressions on Personalities and Political Preference on Collegiate Greek Letter Social Organizations
Institution
Western Kentucky University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Rick Grieve; Thomas Reece
Abstract
Empirical research examining collegiate Greek letter social organizations (fraternities and sororities) has been minimal. Whenever research does arise, it usually focuses on negative stigmas with these organizations (alcohol abuse, hazing). This study sought to examine more positive aspects of Greek organizations. This study hypothesized that Greeks differ from nonGreeks in the Big Five personality traits such that Greek members are less open to experience, less conscientious, more extraverted, and less neurotic than non-Greek members. Greek and nonGreek members will be similar in agreeableness. It is also hypothesized that Greek members are more politically conservative than non-Greek members. In a 2 (affiliation: Greek vs. non-Greek) by 6 (traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, conservatism) within-subjects design, 572 college students (395 female) participated in a 24-item online survey consisting of the Mini-International Personality Item Pool and a brief measure of conservatism. Preliminary analyses via logistic binary regression provided partial support for the hypotheses. Greeks were more likely to be extraverted than non-Greeks (p < .001), less likely to be neurotic than non-Greeks (p < .01), and more likely to be conservative than non-Greeks (p < .01). Implications of these findings will be displayed.
Regressions on Personalities and Political Preference on Collegiate Greek Letter Social Organizations
Empirical research examining collegiate Greek letter social organizations (fraternities and sororities) has been minimal. Whenever research does arise, it usually focuses on negative stigmas with these organizations (alcohol abuse, hazing). This study sought to examine more positive aspects of Greek organizations. This study hypothesized that Greeks differ from nonGreeks in the Big Five personality traits such that Greek members are less open to experience, less conscientious, more extraverted, and less neurotic than non-Greek members. Greek and nonGreek members will be similar in agreeableness. It is also hypothesized that Greek members are more politically conservative than non-Greek members. In a 2 (affiliation: Greek vs. non-Greek) by 6 (traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, conservatism) within-subjects design, 572 college students (395 female) participated in a 24-item online survey consisting of the Mini-International Personality Item Pool and a brief measure of conservatism. Preliminary analyses via logistic binary regression provided partial support for the hypotheses. Greeks were more likely to be extraverted than non-Greeks (p < .001), less likely to be neurotic than non-Greeks (p < .01), and more likely to be conservative than non-Greeks (p < .01). Implications of these findings will be displayed.