Republican's Report Better Mental Health

[Hulkein]

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. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans report having excellent mental health, compared to 43% of independents and 38% of Democrats.

http://media.gallup.com/poll/graphs/mentalhealth11302007graph1.gif


...age, gender, church attendance, income, education, and other variables shows that the basic pattern persists regardless of these characteristics. In other words, party identification appears to have an independent effect on mental health even when each of these is controlled for.

...the key finding of the analyses presented here is that being a Republican appears to have an independent relationship on positive mental health above and beyond what can be explained by these types of demographic and lifestyle variables. The exact explanation for this persistent relationship -- as noted -- is unclear.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/102943/Republicans-Report-Much-Better-Mental-Health-Than-Others.aspx

[Latrinsorm]

the key finding of the analyses presented here is that being a Republican appears to have an independent relationship on positive mental health above and beyond what can be explained by these types of demographic and lifestyle variables.This is an odd conclusion to draw given that these are self-ratings as opposed to diagnoses.

[Hulkein]

Why would that many people lie in an anonymous poll?

[Nieninque]

They dont have to be lying to be wrong.

[TheEschaton]

Hmmmm, it's easier to report better mental health when your political viewpoint encourages you not to doubt and question, but instead accept things without question and with absolute faith.

Not to mention that Republicans probably look down on mental illness more, and therefore are less likely to self-report it.

[Hulkein]

They dont have to be lying to be wrong.

True. Mental health is pretty subjective though.

[Stanley Burrell]

There are... Two... universities that sponsor clinical psych PhDs in the wonderful state that I live in. Republicans are like Democrats, except more closeted about the issue of their own mental health. And to venture further, the step on everybody mentality is sometimes accompanied firsthand by a grandiose manic phase; in that, there are probably far more conservatives without any keenness to their own psychological makeup. Which is a nice thing, actually.