Are Republicans happier than Democrats and Independents?
A recent Gallup Poll found this likely to be true. Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data from the last four November Gallup Health and Healthcare polls.
This could easily be attributed to many socioeconomic factors, but for the most part, these variables were controlled. Analysis of the relationship between party identification and self-reported excellent mental health within various categories of age, gender, church attendance, income, education, and other variables shows that the basic pattern persists regardless of these characteristics. [1]
The reason the relationship exists between being a Republican and more positive mental health is unknown, and one cannot say whether something about being a Republican causes a person to be more mentally healthy, or whether something about being mentally healthy causes a person to choose to become a Republican (or whether some third variable is responsible for causing both to be parallel). [2]
One may interpret this correlation to mean that the general Republican outlook on life is more positive or that the Democratic outlook on life is simply more negative.
(Maybe this is why Republicans are so ardently opposed to socialized Healthcare and Democrats are so supportive - Democrats need it for their mental health).
Democrats wishing to raise taxes for social welfare could be associated with their lower levels of mental health. The feeling of giving is always a good one - when it is others' money, of course.
In Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism (Basic Books), Arthur C. Brooks finds that religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals, and that those who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others. [3]
Don't be too quick to assume conservative generosity is only for Church related charities, either. Brooks found that conservatives were more likely to give to a wide-range of charities, not necessarily religious.
In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social services -- make conservatives more generous than liberals. [4]
So, conservatives are mentally healthier and more generous. The myth of liberal generosity and conservative greed has been debunked - along with liberal happiness and conservative depression.
The implications? None. Expect this to go widely unrecognized.
A recent Gallup Poll found this likely to be true. Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats or independents to rate their mental health as excellent, according to data from the last four November Gallup Health and Healthcare polls.
This could easily be attributed to many socioeconomic factors, but for the most part, these variables were controlled. Analysis of the relationship between party identification and self-reported excellent mental health within various categories of age, gender, church attendance, income, education, and other variables shows that the basic pattern persists regardless of these characteristics. [1]
The reason the relationship exists between being a Republican and more positive mental health is unknown, and one cannot say whether something about being a Republican causes a person to be more mentally healthy, or whether something about being mentally healthy causes a person to choose to become a Republican (or whether some third variable is responsible for causing both to be parallel). [2]
One may interpret this correlation to mean that the general Republican outlook on life is more positive or that the Democratic outlook on life is simply more negative.
(Maybe this is why Republicans are so ardently opposed to socialized Healthcare and Democrats are so supportive - Democrats need it for their mental health).
Democrats wishing to raise taxes for social welfare could be associated with their lower levels of mental health. The feeling of giving is always a good one - when it is others' money, of course.
In Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism (Basic Books), Arthur C. Brooks finds that religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals, and that those who support the idea that government should redistribute income are among the least likely to dig into their own wallets to help others. [3]
Don't be too quick to assume conservative generosity is only for Church related charities, either. Brooks found that conservatives were more likely to give to a wide-range of charities, not necessarily religious.
In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social services -- make conservatives more generous than liberals. [4]
So, conservatives are mentally healthier and more generous. The myth of liberal generosity and conservative greed has been debunked - along with liberal happiness and conservative depression.
The implications? None. Expect this to go widely unrecognized.
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