The Politics of Happiness

Daniel A. Cox October 20, 2022

A rendition of the side profiles of two faces opposite each other, one is red and one is blue

Are Conservatives Really Happier than Liberals?

At first glance, the data seem unambiguous. Yes, conservatives report feeling happier than liberals. It’s not just happiness either. Conservatives are more satisfied than liberals when it comes to their personal lives, employment situations, the number of friends they have, and their spousal relationships. (But not their sex lives, interestingly.) Conservatives also report feeling lonely less often.

So, what are we to make of this? First, I should note that none of these differences are huge. The liberal-conservative gap on most measures of satisfaction is no more than ten points. Meaningful, but in most other ways the differences between liberals and conservatives are far greater.


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Survey Reports

Cartoon rendering of a series of different online dating app prospects, on phone screens

Daniel A. Cox
February 9, 2023

From Swiping to Sexting: The Enduring Gender Divide in American Dating and Relationships

The January 2023 American Perspectives Survey sheds some light on dating preferences, experiences, and perspectives. The national survey of more than 5,000 adults age 18 and older, including nearly 800 single adults, finds that Americans have strong dating preferences when it comes to living at home, being unemployed, and smoking.

Red leather-bound Qur'an on a wooden table with prayer beads and a light blue surgical mask draped over top.

Lindsey Witt-Swanson, Jennifer Benz, Daniel A. Cox
January 5, 2023

Faith After the Pandemic: How COVID-19 Changed American Religion

The Survey Center on American Life at AEI teamed up with researchers at NORC at the University of Chicago to measure religious affiliation and attendance both before the pandemic (2018 to March 2020) and again in spring 2022, revealing who remained at the pews, who returned to the pews, and who left.

A cartoon showing a vibrant office from the ceiling view.

Brent Orrell, Daniel A. Cox, Jessie Wall
October 25, 2022

The Social Workplace: Social Capital, Human Dignity, and Work in America

Why is work, more often than not, the center of life for Americans? Explore the social dimension of work and the role it plays in building human connections and strengthening social capital.

Photograph of pro-choice protestors holding signs

Karlyn Bowman, Daniel A. Cox
October 4, 2022

Gender, Generation and Abortion: Shifting Politics and Perspectives After Roe

Three months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the issue of abortion continues to garner widespread public attention.

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