Left-right differences in perspective-taking across US states

Abstract Politicians and pundits have postulated an “empathy gap” between the political left and right, yet little empirical evidence addresses this speculation. We recognize that dispositional empathy is conceptualized as comprising both affective (empathic concern; EC) and cognitive (perspective-taking; PT) aspects. Employing estimates from nationally-representative polls, and nationwide data collection with widely-used EC and PT measures, we tested regional-level differences in each. States with more self-identified Republicans, Republican voters, self-identified political conservatives, religious people, or that scored higher in legal/social “tightness”, were significantly lower in PT (mean r  = −0.38). These relations remained after controlling for economic conditions (e.g., poverty) or state-level personality. Among states that were above the median in right-wing characteristics, 69–73% were below the median in PT. Comparable patterns for EC were less robust but were evident after controlling for confounds. Following current interest in studying regional differences in personality, these findings reveal a clear PT (cognitive) gap between the left and the right geographically.