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International Journal of Public Opinion Research Advance Access originally published online on July 23, 2007
International Journal of Public Opinion Research 2007 19(3):331-353; doi:10.1093/ijpor/edm016
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The World Association for Public Opinion Research. All rights reserved.

Beliefs about Genes and Environment as Determinants of Behavioral Characteristics

Eleanor Singer, Toni C. Antonucci, Margit Burmeister, Mick P. Couper, Trivellore E. Raghunathan and John Van Hoewyk

Address correspondence to Dr Eleanor Singer, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research-Survey Research Center, 426 Thompson Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, esinger{at}isr.umich.edu

This study investigates beliefs about the determinants of such behavioral characteristics as intelligence, athleticism, obesity, and alcoholism by asking respondents to the 2004 General Social Survey to rate vignettes describing individuals exhibiting these characteristics along a 21-point scale ranging from complete genetic determination to complete environmental determination. The vignettes systematically varied the social desirability of the characteristic as well as the race and gender of the person exhibiting it. We analyzed the effect of the carefully counterbalanced vignette characteristics and the corresponding rater characteristics on respondents’ ratings of the vignettes, hypothesizing that these ratings would reflect mechanisms of claiming credit for desirable characteristics and avoiding blame for undesirable ones. Contrary to our expectations, we found no effect of any of the vignette characteristics on the ratings, and only two significant main effects of respondent demographic characteristics: Black respondents were more likely to use genetic ratings; and better educated respondents, environmental ones.

Received for publication October 26, 2006. Accepted for publication April 23, 2007.


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