Toward Independence or Unification?

This study investigates the relationships between subjective well-being and partisanship for people in Taiwan where voters' political ideologies are largely influenced by their positions toward their country's relations with China. It is found that voters preferring a declaration of independence for Taiwan are more likely to be supporters of Pan-Green political parties (i.e. the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU)) while individuals favoring unification with China tend to vote for Pan-Blue political parties (i.e. the Nationalist Party (KMT), the People First Party (PFP), and the New Party). Reflecting an important part of voters' psychological attachments to a political party and their perceptions of national identity, political ideology has effects on voters' satisfactions with the state of economy and the political situation. Politics has attributes to people's subjective well-being through some specific domains of satisfaction, but its effect on the level of overall happiness is insignificant. It appears that political factors have both economic and psychological effects on subjective well-being.