The inspiration for this post was reading John Jost”s Précis for A Theory of System Justification. According to Jost, system justification is a general tendency to defend, bolster, and justify aspects of the societal status quo, leading some people to deny or excuse societal problems that need to be fixed. These problems include the “ever-widening gap between rich and poor; racial disparities in policing and criminal sentencing; the devaluation and degradation of women and sexual minorities in public and private settings; and the serious, possibly irreparable, damage we are doing to the natural environment”. Per Jost, system justification helps people feel better about the status quo, which “helps to explain why conservatives and rightists report being happier and more satisfied with their lives in comparison with liberals and leftists.” In other words, system justification functions as a defense mechanism.
But is this palliative function the point of system justification, or simply a side effect? Are conservatives and rightists so damn happy because they’re in denial, or because they have good reason to be happy? If the latter, maybe they like the status quo because it has worked well for them. And even if they are relatively untroubled by social injustice and environment degradation, conservatives/rightists do get upset and angry about all sorts of things, e.g., crime, homelessness, critical race theory, progressives, mainstream media, etc. Yet despite it all, they’re still a happy bunch. What gives?
I’d approach that question by exploring whether, in contrast to Democrats, conservatives/rightists have more of the things that make people happy. For example, here are aspects of personal life that are associated with higher life satisfaction:
Source: “Americans Largely Satisfied With Their Personal Life”. Megan Brenan/Gallup, February 23, 2023 https://news.gallup.com/poll/470888/americans-largely-satisfied-personal-life.aspx Accessed August 20, 2023.
And per Pew Research , Republicans are happier than Democrats, because they:
Have more money.
Have more friends.
Are more religious.
Are healthier.
Are more likely to be married.
Like their communities better.
Like their jobs more.
Are more satisfied with their family life.
Like the weather better.
Have fewer financial worries.
Are more likely to see themselves doing better in life than their parents did.
Are more likely to feel that individuals – rather than outside forces – control their own success or failure.
Okay, that last one hints at why conservatives/rightists might be less troubled by poverty than Democrats*. But I’m not going to assume that their beliefs about personal control stem from a desire to avoid uncomfortable emotions. Consider that Trump supporters are less likely to have a college degree than Democrats yet are mostly middle class. That means many Trump supporters have managed to do okay financially despite their limited education. And that means they weren’t handed a silver spoon but had to work long and hard to get to where they are. Maybe they believe people control their own success or failure, because they’ve achieved success despite adversity in their own lives.
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* Actually, it’s not just Conservatives and Rightists that believe individuals - rather than outside forces - control their own success or failure. According to the Pew Research 2021 Political Typology Report: Beyond Red vs. Blue, most Democrat-leaning respondents agreed with the statement, “Everyone has it within their own power to succeed”.
References:
American Emotion Tracker/Morning Consult October 2022 (Republicans happier and more content than Democrats)
Jost, John T. Précis for A Theory of System Justification March 23, 2021
Republicans: Still Happy Campers Pew Research Center March 10, 2010