How's life? Combining individual and national variables to explain subjective well-being

• Published in: Economic modelling Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 331 - 360
• Main Author: Helliwell, John F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.03.2003; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Series: Economic Modelling
• Subjects: Bildung; Comparative analysis; Economic models; Economic theory; Economics; Einkommen; Individual and society; International; International comparisons; Lebensqualität; Messung; Quality of life; Social capital; Sozialkapital; Studies; Subjective well-being; Subjectivity; Welfare; Well-being; Welt; Subjective well-being; International comparisons; Social capital
• ISSN: 0264-9993; 1873-6122
• DOI: 10.1016/S0264-9993(02)00057-3

This paper attempts to explain international trends and differences in subjective well-being over the final fifth of the twentieth century. This is done in several stages. First there is a brief review of some reasons for giving a central role to subjective measures of well-being. This is followed by sections containing a survey of earlier empirical studies, a description of the main variables used in this study, a report of results and tests, discussion of the links among social capital, education and well-being, and concluding comments. The main innovation of the paper, relative to earlier studies of subjective well-being, lies in its use of large international samples of individual respondents, thus permitting the simultaneous identification of individual-level and societal-level determinants of well-being. This is particularly useful in identifying direct and indirect linkages between social capital and well-being.