Why Does Liberalism Lead to Poor Mental Health?

Some of you may have seen in the news recently that liberals have worse mental health than conservatives. By a lot. The Cooperative Election Study, as reported by Nate Silver—no conservative-- reveals that, among voters who said their mental health was poor, 45% identified as politically liberal and just 19% were conservative. The study uses a giant sample of 60,000 respondents. Granted this is the result of self-reporting. It’s what liberal and conservatives say about themselves. Nevertheless, the survey selection is huge and so are the reported differences.

So what’s the cause? Social observers weigh in with a number of explanations.

Conservatives stress self-reliance while liberals are far more dependent on government. I have argued repeatedly that liberals have replaced their belief in God with a trust in government. I lectured forty years ago that the left is in for permanent disappointment as government can never produce the kind of society they want. As a conservative Christian I am not trusting in government in the slightest for my happiness in life. Granted, I like it better when conservatives are in power but I don’t have a meltdown when they aren’t. Not so liberals. Government is god and when government fails—meaning it doesn’t do what they want—then for them it is not just a political crisis. It’s religious crisis. So the current government causes a cratering of liberal mental health.

There are other factors as well.

Conservatives traditionally promote family values, and it’s long been known that people who have other people who rely on them, like spouses and children, fare better than people who only worry about themselves. People on the Left are less likely to have families in the first place. Their marriage and child-bearing rates are considerably lower than that for conservatives.

Liberal messaging is counter-productive to mental health. Their constant drumbeat is that the world is facing a catastrophic end due to climate change. I read about a woman at Stanford University who said, “every morning I am so depressed about the future I can hardly get out of bed.” Here’s one of the richest, best educated, and most blessed women who has ever lived. And she is paralyzed by depression because of the bogeyman of global warming. A crisis that has not happened and is not going to happen. She religious beliefs steer her into unhappiness.

Another self-message is belief in systemic racism and the general evils of America. The Left has talked itself into the narrative that the United States—surely the best country in history to live in—is rife with evil and oppression that must somehow be stamped out. This Marxist narrative would depress anyone.

Then there is the usual Darwinist fairy tale that your life is simply a meaningless accident in the history of the cosmos. Think that worldview is a bit depressing?

Recently you have seen the surveys that show that young liberal women are the most unhappy people in our society. I have linked a video below on this topic. Some observers are blaming this on social media and smart phones. This might be a factor but liberal messaging is far more significant.

The liberal worldview stresses victimhood. You are a product of hostile forces beyond your control. Again, a recipe for poor mental health.

Ultimately the problem is religious. From the New York Post: “Some 86% of conservatives identify with a religion, according to Pew. And religious people are more likely to self-describe as “very happy” in the United States, likely because they have a connection to a higher purpose beyond the earthly world.” People have departed from the joy of knowing the true God of the Bible and now find themselves worshiping idols of destruction and misery. 

Nothing brings more joy than knowing Christ, being filled with His love, luxuriating in His promises. The Psalmist was surely right when he said, “Lord, at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.” I would invite people of any political persuasion to come to Him and find rest for their souls.

More: The Mental Health Crisis of Young Liberal Women: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW-KnVQPdDs

The Cooperative Election Study: https://nypost.com/2025/06/03/us-news/is-it-any-wonder-liberals-are-having-a-mental-health-crisis/

Homeschoolers have higher mental health scores: https://thefederalist.com/2025/06/06/data-shows-college-degrees-and-income-arent-the-only-measures-of-educational-success/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=data-shows-college-degrees-and-income-arent-the-only-measures-of-educational-success&utm_term=2025-06-06

This is Nate Silver’s take: https://www.natesilver.net/p/what-explains-the-liberal-conservative?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email