Republicans have been happier than Democrats every year since the General Social Survey began taking its measu

Question

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. Hmmm, what other factors might be at play? Well, there's always...
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/301/are-we-happy-yet

Answer 1

The Democrats are too busy wringing their hands to enjoy their lives.

Answer 2

People that have had abortions usually don't end up happy afterward. Also they haven't had the presidency for 20 of the last 28 years. Then add to the fact they are always angry about some stupid cause like peta or similar things and you can see why they will never be happy. Also non-religious people with little faith tend to be unhappy.

Answer 3

The income factor was the first thing I thought of, but you addressed that. One possibility is greater empathy among Democrats. Americans, in general, are pretty well off - at least the ones who respond to surveys. If you don't care about everyone else, then you might think everything is just dandy, even if you are a non-wealthy Republican. If you are a Democrat, and you are troubled by the number of young black men in jail, oppression of farmworkers, starvation in Ethiopia and mass rape in Darfur, maybe it's harder to be truly happy, regardless of your personal wealth.

Answer 4

the fear factor of the liberal media and just plain neg thinking conservatives don't buy the lie and are more positive thinkers the peace you wrote proves all this I've preach this for years

Answer 5

How can you ask a ? like this I'm going to report you and they going to delete this? I mean who in is right mind would want to be one of them!

Answer 6

I'm a republican and I haven't been happy since 2001.

Answer 7

Reading this question today is very funny.

Answer 8

ignorance is bliss

Answer 9

Hmmm - now the polls ARE accurate? I wish you guys would make up your minds.

Happier maybe in that plastic smiley face way exhibited by christian fundamentalists, and drug addicts...........

Answer 10

I would say, that when you have no ethics, or are willing to bend your morals to obtain wealth, you have a better chance of being happy in your wealth.