Partisanship and Mental Health: Help Seeking and Institutional Trust in a Polarized Country

Jeffrey Lyons, Ellen J. Schafer, Michael Touchton and David Doherty

Social Science Quarterly, 2025, vol. 106, issue 3

Abstract: Objective The objective of this study is to demonstrate an association between partisanship and institutional trust and mental health help seeking. Methods The 2022 Cooperative Election Study, administered by Harvard University and YouGov, includes a national stratified sample; a subset (n = 1000) responded to additional questions about mental health and were included in this study. Using regression models, relationships between partisanship and mental health outcomes were analyzed. Results The findings indicate Republicans are less likely than Democrats to report seeking help for mental health and are less trusting of institutions that supply mental health information. Trust in state health departments is moderated by the partisanship of the state the respondent lives in; Republicans are more trusting of state health departments in states that are governed by Republicans than in states governed by Democrats. Conclusion Associations between partisanship and institutional trust and help seeking are large and highlight the need for public health and mental health practitioners to study and consider partisanship.

Date: 2025
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