The mental health crisis on college campuses is deepening—and increasingly, it tracks with students’ political affiliation. Multiple studies confirm that liberal students are far more likely than their conservative peers to report anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, and increasingly, to rely on prescription medication to cope. At the heart of this divide is a worldview that may be molding how young people interpret and respond to the world around them.
An April 2025 study published in PLOS One revealed a persistent ideological divide in how Americans rate their mental health: 64 percent of conservatives described their mental health as “excellent” or “very good,” compared to just 45 percent of liberals—a 19-point gap. While the gap narrowed slightly depending on how questions were framed, the overall findings pointed to a significant mental health divide between the two groups. Even after controlling for age, income, religion, and recent life events, the disparity shrank only modestly—to just over 11 points—making political ideology one of the most consistent predictors of self-reported mental well-being.
This trend appears across other data sets as well.
Very liberal college students are significantly more likely to report loneliness and emotional strain than their conservative peers. One study found that 52 percent of very liberal students said they felt lonely and isolated, compared to just 37 percent of conservatives. Similarly, 68 percent of very liberal students said they had no time for themselves, versus 56 percent of conservatives. “Not only are liberal students far more prone to try to stop or disrupt speech,” wrote political scientist Samuel J. Abrams, “but they are appreciably more likely to be stressed and anxious than their conservative counterparts on campus today.”
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Abrams also points out that “gender almost certainly plays a role,” as college women, who tend to be more liberal, “often report significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to men.” These disparities suggest that political ideology, gender, and social context all intersect in shaping the emotional health of today’s students.
This divide isn’t just about reported feelings; it’s also shown in behavior. Campus health centers, often under-resourced and overbooked, now regularly prescribe antidepressants, ADHD stimulants, and anti-anxiety medications after short consultations. And it’s liberal students who are disproportionately seeking these treatments. While increased openness about mental health is one factor, the higher rates of diagnosis and medication among left-leaning students suggest something cultural as well: many liberal students now view mental health not just as a medical issue, but as a central part of their identity.
“There’s compelling psychological evidence showing that young liberal women are more ‘justice sensitive’ and react more emotionally to events,” Dr. Sally Satel, a psychiatrist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told me. “So, in responding to news of the world and to specific content, real or perceived, concerning oppressed groups, liberal girls are more likely to become depressed or anxious than their conservative counterparts.”
That’s where the recent New York Post article on Gen Z’s growing support for socialism adds another layer. Rikki Schlott reports that 60 percent of young New Yorkers between 18 and 29 have a favorable view of socialism, and 34 percent hold a positive view of communism, alongside widespread disillusionment, pessimism, and distrust in traditional institutions.
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Young people most attracted to collectivist, anti-capitalist ideas are also the most likely to report feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, or emotionally unwell. Why? Likely because their worldview is built around constant crisis—climate catastrophe, inequality, and systemic injustice (especially racial injustice)—issues often perceived more than experienced. The more their identity is wrapped up in these sweeping struggles, the more powerless they feel. And when one’s sense of self depends on fragility and emotional validation, even ordinary stress can feel catastrophic.
It’s not a coincidence that many of the world’s most authoritarian socialist regimes—such as Cuba, Venezuela, and North Korea—are also among the least transparent about mental health outcomes. These governments often censor or suppress mental health data entirely, hiding what are likely widespread levels of psychological distress. If Gen Z were to see the true emotional toll within the very systems they increasingly romanticize—and are voting to support, as seen in Zohran Mamdani’s recent win in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor—they might reconsider the ideologies they’re embracing.
Of course, medications have their place. But when an entire generation of left-leaning students turns to pills at record rates, it’s worth asking whether we’re addressing the root cause, or simply medicating a generation overwhelmed by its own worldview.
Image: “Student socialists at UNT” by Wesley Fryer on Flickr
