Contrary to popular belief, it is not the so-called sanctimonious left winger who thinks he or she is morally superior to others, but the right wingers, according to a study published this week by YouGov, an international online-based market research firm headquartered in the UK.
Most Brits today if asked would probably point to left-wingers, such as the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, as examples of people who believe they are morally superior to others. They tend to be the ones who talk the most about decency, compassion and caring for society’s most vulnerable people.
However, the new YouGov study shows the opposite is true – it is those on the right who are more likely to see themselves as morally superior.
The researchers were surprised with the results. (Source: YouGov)
Forty-seven percent of people who describe themselves are fairly or very right-wing or right-of-center see themselves as more of a good person than the average Brit, while 43% believe they are ‘about as good’.
Only 39% of left-winger believe they are morally superior to the national average, while 51% say they are about as good as others.
Fifty-eight percent of those in the center of the political spectrum claim to be about the same as others.
Good and bad people
Right-wingers are more likely to think that some of us are born evil – 39% of them, compared to 25% of left-wingers and 32% of the general population. So, it seems that those on the left are less likely to believe that in-born evil exists.
Right wingers are more likely to believe that some people are born evil. (Source: YouGov)
On the positive side, sixty-eight percent agree that there are more good people than bad ones in the world. The majority of people believe between 21% to 30% of individuals are bad and 61% to 70% are good.