Human Rights Quote (92): Poverty and Unhappiness

Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers

(source)

We establish a clear positive link between average levels of subjective well-being and GDP per capita across countries, and find no evidence of a satiation point beyond which wealthier countries have no further increases in subjective well-being. We show that the estimated relationship is similar to the relationship between subject well-being and income observed within countries. Those enjoying materially better circumstances also enjoy greater subjective well-being and ongoing rises in living standards have delivered higher subjective well-being. Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers (source)

This study, based on two cross-country happiness surveys (one by Pew and another by Gallup), found that richer countries are happier than poorer ones, and that this is reflected internally in countries (rich people are happier than poor people). No surprise perhaps, but an additional reason to fight poverty, on top of the reasons linked to under-education, ill-health, lack of political representations etc.