Political Orientation, Religiosity and Life Satisfaction: An exploratory investigation amongst Indians

Abstract

Recent advancements in positive psychology have led to an increase in the attention being paid to life satisfaction and subjective well-being. Research has been done on the relationship between political orientation, religiosity and life satisfaction in the western scenario but not much has been done about the subject in India. The aim of this paper was to establish a relationship between political orientation, religiosity and life satisfaction. The primary research included 101 respondents (male and female) in the age group of 40-65 who participated in the research. They were asked to complete the following measures: The 12-item social and economic conservatism scale (Everett, 2013), 20 item Dimensions of Religiosity scale (Joseph et al, 2007) and 5 item Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, 1985). It was hypothesized that (a) There will be a significant positive relationship between political conservatism and life satisfaction and (b) There will be a significant positive relationship between religiosity and life satisfaction. The results have been discussed in the light of the relevant literature.