Democrats are literally the party of crazy people
Crazy is, admittedly, a bit of a pejorative term. But as a new study published by Political Behavior shows, not only have the negative connotations attached to mental health conditions fallen as the prevalence of mental illness risen, but an increasingly large percentage of Americans use mental health as a source of political identity, particularly younger Americans.
TL;DR
- A growing percentage of Americans, especially younger ones, use mental health as a source of political identity.
- Previous studies show individuals reporting mental illness are more likely to support higher government spending on healthcare, education, and welfare.
- Democrats are more likely to report having suffered from mental illness than Republicans.
- A study by Lauren Van De Hey confirms a higher prevalence of mental illness reporting among liberals and very liberals compared to conservatives and very conservatives.
- Mental health identity is linked to support for increased state spending on healthcare, education, and welfare, and opposition to higher law enforcement spending.
- Mental health identity is functioning as a political identity, shaping views on government spending and policing.