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Some 45% of all Republicans report being very happy, compared with just 30% of Democrats and 29% of independents. This finding has also been around a long time; Republicans have been happier than Democrats every year since the General Social Survey began taking its measurements in 1972. Pew surveys since 1991 also show a partisan gap on happiness; the current 16 percentage point gap is among the largest in Pew surveys, rivaled only by a 17 point gap in February 2003.
Could it be that Republicans are so much happier now because their party controls all the levers of federal power? Not likely. Since 1972, the GOP happiness edge over Democrats has ebbed and flowed in a pattern that appears unrelated to which party is in political power.
For example, Republicans had up to a 10 and 11 percentage point happiness edge over Democrats in various years of both the Carter and Clinton presidencies, and as small as a three and five percentage point edge in various years of the Reagan and first Bush presidencies. Also, we should explain here a bit about how our survey questionnaire was constructed. The question about happiness was posed at the very beginning of the interview, while the question about political affiliation was posed at the back end, along with questions about demographic traits. So respondents were not cued to consider their happiness through the frame of partisan politics. This question is about happiness; it is not a question about happiness with partisan outcomes.
Of course, there's a more obvious explanation for the Republicans' happiness edge. Republicans tend to have more money than Democrats, and -- as we've already discovered -- people who have more money tend to be happier.
But even this explanation only goes so far. If one controls for household income, Republicans still hold a significant edge: that is, poor Republicans are happier than poor Democrats; middle-income Republicans are happier than middle-income Democrats, and rich Republicans are happier than rich Democrats.
Might ideology be the key? It's true that conservatives, who are more likely to be Republican, are happier than liberals, who are more likely to be Democrats. But even controlling for this ideological factor, a significant partisan gap remains. Conservative Republicans are happier than conservative Democrats, and moderate/liberal Republicans are happier than liberal Democrats....
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I'll be much happier once America votes out the current lame azz, crooked, souless, crapulence that is the Current Bush/Rove Republican regieme.
I'll float so high I will touch the sky!
Well unfortunately for you they wont be given a chance to vote them out of office. Considering they are lame ducks. They will walk out on their terms. Not by the voice of the voters.
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as we've already discovered -- people who have more money tend to be happier.
It's kind of sad that only around 38% of Americans consider themselves happy. I wonder how many people are even thankful for what they have. I am thankful every day that I was lucky enough to be born in America.
The short of it is that it isn't the amount of money you have or the material possessions you own that dicatates happiness, but your environment which provides lasting increases in happiness. The rich generally live in nicer conditions than the poor and thus are happier.
A huge house won't get you half the happiness that a shorter commute to work or lack of debt on said house would get you (Dave Ramsey).
Thus the way to increase Americans happiness is not to give us more money, since in general we fritter it away on needless material goods...but instead improve the environment of where we live, what we eat, and what we breathe.
Clean cities, good public transit, clean air, clean water...ect...
Also of note I discovered that those who worship regularly are significantly happier than those that don't. Another aspect of the Republicans/Democrats that is missed in the original poll.
I'll be much happier once America votes out the current lame azz, crooked, souless, crapulence that is the Current Bush/Rove Republican regieme.
I'll float so high I will touch the sky!
In context this was one of the funniest, most miserable posts I have ever read... Absolute misery that bases happiness on something that has no immediate impact on whether or not happiness should even exist...
I wonder what a poll during the Clinton years would have found - I knew many, many unhappy Republicans then
That was kind of my point... I don't think my happiness has ever related directly to the people or the performance of the White House or political party in power...
Man life is just too short... I feel really sorry for the children of people who get all bent out of shape over politics.... Could you imagine losing 8 years of your childhood happiness because mom or pops was mad at the administration...??? (and if you say - "I don't let it affect my family" - you are full of it, if it affects your own happiness then kids see and feel that stuff whether you think you are hiding it or not)...
That was kind of my point... I don't think my happiness has ever related directly to the people or the performance of the White House or political party in power...
Man life is just too short... I feel really sorry for the children of people who get all bent out of shape over politics.... Could you imagine losing 8 years of your childhood happiness because mom or pops was mad at the administration...??? (and if you say - "I don't let it affect my family" - you are full of it, if it affects your own happiness then kids see and feel that stuff whether you think you are hiding it or not)...
Well when politician's policies are bankrupting the country, making it harder for our children to find high paying jobs, increasing world wide hatred of Americans, destroying environmental protections, skyrocketing the cost of living while wages stagnate, its quite easy to see how politics can have a direct effect on out children's lives.
BTW, I am quite happy with my life, but very unhapppy with the direction the country is going.
There is nothing wrong with being concerned about the overall future of our county and its citizens.
That is probably why Dems are more unhappy, for Dems tend to be more concerned with the well being of others, while Republicans are much more ego-centric and preserving self gratification.
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