Determinants of Citizen Well-Being in the U.S. States: Do Policy Liberalism and Political Culture Matter?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of policy liberalism and political culture on the well-being of citizens in U.S. states. Well-being is measured using states' performance on Miringoff and Opdycke's Index of Social Health, a collection of social indicators designed to gauge social health. To determine the impact of policy liberalism and political culture, a multiple regression analysis was conducted. After controlling for per capita income, results of the analysis show that political culture significantly affects citizen well-being. In states with political culture types that favor government intervention in community issues, well-being was greater. States' level of policy liberalism did not have a significant impact on the citizen well-being.