Presidential congruence and happiness: the role of extreme political views

Abstract

ABSTRACTPrevious literature has demonstrated that individuals in the US report greater happiness when the president is of the same party that the individual identifies with. It has likewise been demonstrated that individuals with more extreme political views, be they liberal or conservative, report higher happiness than those with moderate political views. This article demonstrates that the relationship between these two dimensions and happiness is not separable. In fact, congruence with the president, in terms of party and ideology, matters the most for those with extreme political views. This is demonstrated by estimation of the interaction effect between political extremism and measures of presidential congruence.