October 1st, 2025 | Allan Ray

Science Says COnservative Voters Are Happier, Liberals And NDP Plagued by Depression And Neuroticism

It is important to trust the science.

In Canadian political debates, Liberal and NDP voters are often mocked as neurotic or emotionally unhinged by their Conservative critics, and the evidence suggests there is truth to the jab. Politics isn’t just about policy. It’s about identity, morality, and how we process the world. Research consistently shows Conservative voters in Canada enjoy better mental health and higher levels of happiness than their Liberal and NDP counterparts, whose anxious, overly sensitive tendencies drag them down. Studies across North America and Europe confirm that conservatives report higher life satisfaction and better mental health than liberals and left-leaning voters.

In Canada, while direct partisan breakdowns are limited, broader national data from the Canadian Community Health Survey align with U.S. patterns where conservatives consistently rate their lives more positively than left-wing voters. Psychologists Jaime Napier and John Jost attribute this to conservatives’ grounded belief that inequality is a natural part of life, freeing them from the emotional turmoil that plagues left-leaning voters. A 2019 multilevel study found this happiness advantage among conservatives holds across democracies, only weakening where they face political marginalization.

Unlike Liberal and NDP voters, who overthink and dwell on their struggles, Conservatives are less likely to wallow, instead projecting confidence in their decisions. This clarity of mind makes their reported happiness more reliable than the self-inflicted misery of progressives. The Big Five personality model explains why.

Neuroticism, tied to anxiety, emotional volatility, and negative mood, is higher among Liberal and NDP voters, who fret over issues like gender identity or racism. This drives them to cling to parties promising bloated social safety nets, a hallmark of their insecurity. Conservatives, by contrast, score lower on neuroticism, reflecting a calm, pragmatic outlook that shields them from mental distress.

While Liberal and NDP voters let their worries dictate their politics, Conservatives stay steady, their personality traits aligning with resilience and emotional strength. This neuroticism in progressives not only heightens their personal distress but also fuels their fixation on woke nonsense, like endless obsessions with identity politics, microaggressions, and performative virtue-signaling.

Studies show those high in neuroticism are drawn to critical social justice ideologies, where constant vigilance against perceived systemic threats amplifies anxiety and depression, turning everyday discourse into a battlefield of imagined slights. Far from empowering them, this neurotic-driven focus on woke issues leaves Liberal and NDP voters trapped in a cycle of outrage and self-righteous exhaustion, further eroding their well-being.Experimental studies reinforce this. Liberal and NDP voters’ policy preferences shift wildly with their moods, revealing an emotional fragility that Conservatives avoid.

Research shows progressives obsess over care and fairness, fixating on suffering and injustice to the point of mental exhaustion. Conservatives, however, balance these with loyalty, authority, and tradition, grounding their worldview in stability and order. Liberal and NDP voters’ hyperfocus on issues like Indigenous reconciliation or carbon pricing leaves them emotionally drained, while Conservatives’ emphasis on tradition and economic strength keeps them psychologically robust.

Mental health depends on social context and Conservatives have a clear edge.

In Canada, Conservative voters benefit from stronger community ties, higher religiosity, and stable family structures, all proven to reduce depression. Religious practice, common among Conservatives, provides meaning and resilience, while Liberal and NDP voters, especially younger ones in urban hubs like Toronto or Vancouver, embrace secular, solitary, and transient lifestyles that breed loneliness and instability. Progressives’ obsession with mental health awareness makes them quick to admit their struggles, inflating their reported distress.

Conservatives, less burdened by such cultural baggage, are more likely to keep their troubles private, preserving their mental fortitude.Liberal and NDP voters’ fixation on social justice, climate change, or economic inequality plunges them into activist burnout or eco-anxiety. Their constant exposure to systemic problems and existential fears erodes their well-being.

Conservatives, prioritizing tradition and stability, sidestep this emotional quagmire, maintaining a healthier outlook by focusing on what works rather than what’s broken. Some studies, like a 2024 Johns Hopkins report, suggest depression rates can look similar across political lines when controlling for age, income, or education, but these factors naturally favour Conservatives, who are often wealthier and more grounded. In Canada, universal healthcare might narrow the gap slightly, but Liberal and NDP voters’ emotional volatility still shines through. Most studies measure subjective well-being, not clinical diagnoses, but the data is clear. Conservatives’ steady mindset contrasts sharply with the anxious, self-reported misery of progressives.

The evidence paints a clear picture. Conservative voters in Canada are happier and mentally resilient, thanks to their personalities, stable social structures, and focus on tradition over chaos. Liberal and NDP voters, weighed down by neuroticism and an obsession with societal flaws, struggle to match this psychological health. Their empathy-driven activism and fixation on woke nonsense trap them in a cycle of distress. Conservatives, by contrast, embody a pragmatic, grounded approach that fosters well-being. In a polarized Canada, the lesson is that Conservative values, from strong communities to a clear-eyed view of life’s realities, offer a blueprint for mental resilience that Liberal and NDP voters would do well to learn from.