Would You Want to Be a Politician? Here's Why Your Answer Matters
- Dino Tramontani
- Oct 9, 2025
- 7 min read
Forty-one percent of political leaders we surveyed worldwide record low or very low mental wellbeing—a rate lower even than emergency-service workers and doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yes, you read that right, and nearly 40 percent of political leaders report that online or in-person harassment negatively affects their wellbeing either "often" or "all the time."
Why should we care?
Firstly, because the mental wellbeing of politicians directly affects the quality of the decisions they make on our behalf—decisions about our healthcare, our children's education, our economy, and our safety.
When leaders are overwhelmed, burnt out or living in fear, they make different choices. They cancel public meetings. They avoid difficult conversations. They retreat from the engagement that makes democracy work.
Secondly, because they're people too: mothers, fathers, partners and friends—whose humanity deserves recognition not just for their sake, but for the sake and health of our democracies.
So, would you want to be a politician? If your answer is an emphatic "No chance!" - ask yourself why, and therein lies the issue we're trying to tackle at the Better Politics Foundation.
Perhaps you're thinking about the abuse, the constant scrutiny, the toll on your family and the loss of privacy.
Now consider this—you might be exactly the kind of leader our democracies need. The empathy, integrity, and vision that makes you hesitant might be precisely what we are lacking. So we need to make both the path into politics and the experience of serving in office more conducive to thriving, not just surviving. Unless we do so, we'll continue to lose the very people who could transform our politics for the better.
Here's the encouraging news: across the globe, a growing movement exists that recognizes the problem and is working together to change this reality. From groundbreaking research to innovative programs and cross-sector partnerships, organizations, and parliaments are finally taking the mental wellbeing of politicians seriously.
A Mandate to Reimagine Politics
At the Better Politics Foundation, we work to renew leadership, reimagine politics, and rebuild trust as a global platform for political leadership innovation.
When we launched our 2023 report, Mere Mortals: The State of Politicians' Mental Wellbeing and Why It Matters—the first global study to measure the mental wellbeing of people holding elected office—we knew we were opening a difficult conversation - and the statistics from Mere Mortals were sobering. Drawing on surveys and interviews, we found that almost half of leaders surveyed had considered limiting interactions with their constituents because of threats. It wasn’t just our research highlighting the problems. The Inter-Parliamentary Union has reported that over 80 percent of parliaments have witnessed harassment, threats, or violence against female lawmakers particularly.
From Research to Real-World Impact
Following the publication of Mere Mortals, we conducted a comprehensive survey of UK politicians that contributed to a BBC radio documentary investigation entitled 'Broken Politicians, Broken Politics.' The documentary graphically highlighted the quiet world of mental pain and suffering that many British politicians still experience; that sadly many still feel needs to be kept out of public view and discussion. The documentary sparked a national conversation in the UK, and motivated a similar survey and radio documentary on Irish politics produced by the state broadcaster RTE, expanding the dialogue across national boundaries.
We are now undertaking what we believe will be the largest study of mental wellbeing among serving leaders in Australia. More than 250 elected leaders have participated in our research—a remarkable response that speaks to both the urgency of the issue and the willingness of politicians to engage openly. The insights will be launched in 2026, and there is promising movement toward action. We're simultaneously conducting research in Germany, all contributing to a global evidence base.
A Growing Coalition for Change
What is most encouraging is that we're far from alone in this work. A vibrant ecosystem of organizations have already, or are emerging to work on this.
In the United States, the Women's Democracy Lab prioritizes safety, care, and sustainability for elected women at state and local levels, co-creating solutions to address gendered and racialized violence.
In the United Kingdom, the Jo Cox Foundation has set out 28 recommendations to curb abuse of elected representatives—especially women and minorities—arguing powerfully that incivility "undermines democratic participation.
Compassion in Politics has documented 3,000 incidents of harassment and 23 death threats against MPs in just 18 months, using this data to drive institutional reform.
And 50:50 Parliament is pushing for Parliament to represent society with an equal gender balance.
In Australia, Locale Learning is leading the way in political wellbeing, training and coaching local councilors across the country. In February this year they hosted the first Political Wellbeing Summit to launch their political wellbeing framework.
The International Federation of Liberal Youth has also produced a comprehensive guide on Mental Health and Political Life that was on the agenda at a side event at the recent session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It urges institutions to prioritize psychological safety for young representatives and to build cross-party solidarity against harassment.
Finally, through the Better Politics Foundation’s Safety in Office program, part of our work on the broader Political Leadership Impact Path - we're offering practical guidance for governments, parliaments, and political parties to assess and strengthen their protective environments. The training helps elected officials and staff reduce risks, improve security protocols and access psychosocial support—translating research into tangible safeguards.
Together, these organizations are building a case for the global recognition of the wellbeing of those in office as a precondition for healthy democracy.
What We've Learned: Solutions That Work
Our research and the work of our partners have identified several strategies that are proving effective:
Public Recognition – When we normalize conversations about mental wellbeing within parliaments and parties, we break down stigma. Politicians who speak openly about their experiences create permission for others to seek help.
Systemic Support – Providing access to mental wellbeing care, peer groups, and security systems that address both online and offline threats isn't a luxury—it's creating a modern governance infrastructure. The Australian government for example has established a Parliamentary Workplace Support Service, and in the UK there is a Parliamentary Health and Welfare Service.
Institutional Reform – Codes of conduct, harassment reporting mechanisms and family-support programs are being implemented in political institutions worldwide. There is movement in some legislatures on voting times to better accommodate political leaders with family duties. The Mere Mortals report cites the progressive introduction of institutional reforms in parliaments in Britain, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Mexico. These aren't just policies—they're commitments to making political work sustainable.
Mentoring and Peer Networks – Creating spaces where sitting leaders can support one another can be transformative. International organizations such as the Inter Parliamentary Union and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association do important work to connect parliamentarians; and networks like Women Political Leaders and the Asian Women Parliamentarians Caucus host events and provide training and resources for their members.
Media and Civil Society Engagement – When journalists and advocacy groups learn to engage with politicians constructively rather than dehumanizing them, the entire political ecosystem benefits. We need to see many more examples of this.
Digital Safety Standards – From platform accountability to digital literacy programs, we're seeing innovation in how democracies protect their representatives in online spaces. Legislation passed in Bolivia, Mexico and Brazil has made online and offline violence against leaders an offence. In Germany, initiatives like PolisiN offer digitalization and IT security workshops for politicians and politically active individuals at federal, state and local levels and the Australian e-Safety Commissioner has developed Social Media Self Defense training, specifically designed for women in public office.
There is Still Work to be Done
While there are these strong examples of a changing working culture in politics, there remains a great shift that needs to happen and fast. We urgently need better public recognition and discussion of mental wellbeing that will feed discussion in our Parliaments.
Today’s World Mental Health Awareness Day commemorated under the auspices of the World Health Organization - encourages this global recognition.
In these times when democracy itself is being threatened, we need to encourage more innovation and faster reforms in parliaments, legislatures and councils. Better civic education on what it means to be a good online citizen is one critical piece to address online violence and harassment.
Finally, we need to track our progress. Just as we mo
nitor press freedom, the world needs an annual index of political safety and wellbeing.
This is something we are taking on at the Better Politics Foundation with a soon-to-be launched Better Politics Index.
Why This Matters to Everyone
The health of our democracies depends on attracting and retaining people of empathy, integrity and vision to public service. When leaders feel unsafe, they retreat from public spaces. The result is weaker representation, poorer policymaking and a widening gap between citizens and their elected representatives.
However when we support those in office; and when we create environments where they can thrive rather than merely survive—we get better leaders making better decisions.
The Road Ahead
World Mental Health Day gives us "an opportunity to talk openly about mental health and to mobilize efforts in support of mental wellbeing worldwide." For too long, politicians have been absent from that conversation.
If we want politics to attract the right people, we must create an environment that doesn't drive them out—or worse yet, one that deters them from entering it in the first place.
This is about the kind of politics we want and the kind of leaders we need. The movement to protect the mental wellbeing of politicians is gaining momentum, with research expanding, programs scaling, and partnerships deepening.
Politicians are, after all, mere mortals—and the health of our political systems depends on recognizing and supporting their humanity.
The progress we've seen over the last two years gives us hope that we can find ways to support new political environments that attract and keep the political leaders we need—and not just those with the thickest of skins.
Politicians are human — and the health of our political systems depends on their humanity, not their endurance.
If your answer to the question 'Would you want to be a politician?' is still "No chance!" then we've still got work to do.