I have suggested in earlier blogs that the reason that academics are Lefties at a ratio of 8 to 1 is because they were people who did poorly in socializing as children and did well academically. Their failures at social interaction leave them hostile to the mainstream society particularly hostile to the commercial world.
Turns out that the wonderful thinker, Robert Nozick, speculated on this problem a decade ago and wrote about it in a long article (long compared to my two paragraph blogs). Nozick concludes that academics think so highly of their value to society that they are resentful of the higher status that commercial society gives to business people in rewards as well as recognition and appreciation. Pure resentment makes them Lefties.
Robert, I'm sorry I didn't know about your observations long ago.(I know Nozick died a few years ago...I'm apologizing to his ghost.)