A Comparison of Well-being in Republicans, Democrats and Independents

This research compared college student Democrats, Republicans, and independents on five temperamental characteristics (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism) and on one measure of well-being (happiness). Statistical analyses indicated that independents were significantly higher in neuroticism than either Republicans or Democrats, but the groups were indistinguishable on the other temperamental measures. We also found that Republicans were happier than either Democrats or independents, which is consistent with public opinion surveys that have consistently shown over the years that Republicans enjoy a greater sense of well-being than Democrats or independents, even when income is controlled. Our research is perhaps the first to show that the higher level of well-being of Republicans can be observed as early as the first few years of college