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Personality traits differ significantly per region in Great Britain

Significant regional differences appear to exist in the personality traits of individuals living in different areas of Great Britain, according to recent findings.

“Understanding how personality traits differ by region is more than just ‘a bit of fun’,” Jason Rentfrow, PhD, of the department of psychology at the University of Cambridge and fellow at Fitzwilliam College, said in a press release. “Geographical differences are associated with a range of economic, social and health outcomes — and hence how important resources are allocated. Although participants in an online test are self-selecting, the demographic characteristics are representative of the British population, so we can develop an accurate snapshot of the psychology of the nation.”

In the study, Rentfrow and colleagues administered an Internet-based version of the Big Five Personality test to 588,014 individuals living in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland between November 2009 and April 2011. Because the sample sizes from Northern Ireland were potentially too small to generate reliable personality estimates, the respondents from this region were excluded from the analysis, leaving a study population of 386,375 respondents. The Big Five personality test consists of eight sections pertaining to demographics, education and work, personal relationships, personality and aspirations, health and childhood experiences. It evaluates the respondents’ levels of the following personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness.

The researchers found high levels of extraversion concentrated in London, Manchester, and clusters of the South, South East of England, Yorkshire and Scotland. Conversely, extraversion was found to be significantly low in the East Midlands, Wales, Humberside, the North of England and East Scotland.

Agreeableness, which pertains to cooperation, friendliness and trust, was most prevalent throughout Scotland, as well as in the North, South West and East of England. These regions of high agreeableness also had higher percentages of women, married couples, and low-income residents, along with lower rates of violent crime. In contrast, London and various districts throughout the East of England demonstrated relatively low levels of agreeableness, suggesting that more residents of these areas are uncooperative, irritable, or argumentative.

Conscientiousness, which reflects a sense of self-discipline and duty, was most prevalent in Southern England, in clusters of the Midlands, and the Scottish Highlands. The researchers found that conscientiousness was also correlated with a region’s extent of social conservatism, nonviolence, and physical health. Respondents with higher levels of conscientiousness were more likely to be married, older, and earn higher incomes; they also had lower rates of mortality due to cancer and heart disease. Significantly lower proportions of conscientiousness were seen in London, Wales and parts of the North of England.

Openness, which indicates creativity, curiosity, intellect and imagination, was concentrated more in Metropolitan areas, including London, Oxford, Cambridge, Brighton, Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow, but was also prevalent in parts of Wales.  Comparatively, levels of openness in most of the East Midlands and East of England were low, suggesting that those in these areas had more conventional and less curious personalities. The researchers found that openness was more prevalent in areas with higher proportions of residents who were university-educated, earned high incomes, were foreign born, were in same-sex relationships, and in areas with more violent crime.

There were high levels of neuroticism in Wales and the Midlands, indicating people in these regions were anxious, depressed and temperamental, while participants in the South West and most of Southern England were more relaxed and emotionally stable.

“The present results converged with findings from previous studies, thereby providing a solid foundation for developing and testing hypotheses about the dynamic relationships between personality and the places in which people live,” the researchers wrote. “The work also raises important questions about the nature of personality, its role in society, and its impact on broad social processes.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant disclosures.