Conservatives are lower in cognitive complexity and higher in need for structure than liberals.

Evidence

If we accept that at least some people do hold internally coherent political belief systems that correspond to the left-right ideological distinction, then it makes sense to ask whether other psychological differences accompany ideological differences. Researchers have generally focused on a set of interrelated cognitive and motivational variables, including cognitive complexity, need for structure, intolerance of ambiguity, and uncertainty avoidance. A substantial body of research now suggests that, as a general rule, conservatives are somewhat lower in cognitive complexity, higher in need for structure, and more likely to experience ambiguity and uncertainty as aversive, in comparison with liberals (see Jost et al., 2003a, 2003b). These findings generally vindicate the assumptions of authontarian personality researchers that general differences in mental rigidity exist between adherents of left-wing and right-wing ideology. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 1819

Categorization

• XREF: This evokes the authoritarian personality research tradition and recent debates about whether this asymmetry finding is robust or politically motivated — connects to Haidt and later critiques. — connects to: Political liberals accept more collective guilt than conservatives, independent of individual-responsibility beliefs. — Nyla R. Branscombe and Bertjan Doosje (eds.), Collective Guilt: International…, 203