This study examined the relation between conservatism and life satisfaction.
Analyses based on data from a representative German survey (ALLBUS
2010) revealed a positive relation between conservatism and self-reported
life satisfaction, thus supporting prior claims of this link. Different accounts
have been proposed for this relationship, suggesting system justification,
positive adjustment, or multiple group membership as potential mediators.
Going beyond prior research, this study allowed for a comparison between
these different mechanisms. Analyses revealed that system justification and
one of the three examined constructs related to positive adjustment (i.e.,
religiosity) were significant mediators of the positive relationship between
political conservatismand life satisfaction. Comparable results were obtained
after controlling for a number of sociodemographic variables. The present
findings indicate (i) that conservatives report to be more satisfied with their
lives than liberals and (ii) that this difference is in part due to conservatives’
system justification and religiosity.
