Saturday, April 28, 2018

Are conservatives happier than liberals like Rush says?

You constantly hear Rush Limbaugh claiming that liberals are miserable people. Is this true?

The  General Social Survey asked 3,322 people: 1) who they voted for in 2012 and 2) how happy they are, generally speaking. Here's the breakdown:

Percent Very Happy
Obama Voters  27.9%
Romney Voters  36.8%

Percent Not Too Happy
Obama Voters  13.9%
Romney Voters  9.3%

Myself, I'm sad I voted for Romney. But it looks like Rush has a point even if he exaggerates a bit. Personality traits might explain the difference: Liberals are more prone to negative emotions, they are less conscientious (self-disciplined), and both of these predict less life satisfaction. 

My bet is that if I looked at social factors, I'd find that conservatives are more religious and more likely to be married, and both predict happiness (believe it or not). Maybe in a later post.  

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