Alford, Funk & Hibbing (2005)Are Political Orientations Genetically Transmittied?

What are some of the variables that explain political attitudes and behaviors?
AFH argue that it is a combination of environmental factors (CW) as well as genetics.

The socialization literature has overwhelmingly focused on proximate events and early childhood experiences.

Yet AFH acknowledge a role for heritability in politics. In order to test this theory the authors engage in twin studies.
The authors find that shared genes, shared environment and parental socialization each play a role in determining political ideology and identification.
Twin studies look at similarities between twins; this differs from traditional socialization studies, which look at similarities between parent and child.

this paper is applicable to my research in this respect:

"Acknowledging a role for heritability in politics affects our understanding of first, political issues, second, political learning, and third political cleavages. Inherited attitudes seem to be demonstratably different than acquired attitudes. Tesser (1993) provides evidence that attitudes higher in heritability are manifest more quickly, are more resistant to change, and increase the likelihood that people will be attracted to those who share those particular attitudes. It has long been known that certain politicla issues seem "hard: to people and others seem "easy" presumably because some issues trigger "gut responses," while others do not (Carmines & Stimson 1980, 79), but no explanation has yet been offered why given issues do or do not elicit gut responses. Why do socialm more than economic, issues tend to hit people in the gut, even though both constitute ongoing and equally complex societal concerns? In light of the new findings, one distinct possibility is that easy "gut" issues tend to be those that are more heritable" (164).

heritable a synonym for abstract/confusing/unknown/limited environmental impacts due to limited public discourse?!?! heritability, then, as a default?!!? INTERESTING QUESTION.