Table 1. Cross-Country Regressions of Subjective Well-Being on GDP per Capita
|
Survey |
Ordered probit regressions, |
OLS regressions, |
Sample size | |||
|
micro data |
national data | |||||
|
Without |
With |
All |
GDP per capita GDP per capita | |||
|
controls |
controls |
countries |
> $15,000 |
< $15,000 | ||
|
Gallup World Poll, |
■■0.396*** ■ |
■0.422*** |
■0.418*** |
■■1.076***! |
*■0.348*** |
139,051 |
|
2006: Ladder question |
(0.023) |
(0.023) |
(0.022) |
(0.211) |
(0.037) |
(113 countries) |
|
World Values Survey: Life Satisfaction | ||||||
|
1981-84 wave |
**0.525** |
0.291 |
*0.498* |
**1.677** |
0.722 |
23,537 |
|
(0.263) |
(0.331) |
(0.252) |
(0.703) |
(0.582) |
(19 countries) | |
|
1989-93 wave |
***0.551*** * |
**0.551*** |
**0.558*** |
0.504 |
0.391 |
50,553 |
|
(0.096) |
(0.096) |
(0.096) |
(0.467) |
(0.256) |
(35 countries) | |
|
1994-99 wave |
***0.408*** * |
**0.418*** |
**0.462*** |
0.327 |
***0.394*** |
65,779 |
|
(0.054) |
(0.054) |
(0.051) |
(0.421) |
(0.084) |
(45 countries) | |
|
1999-2004 wave |
***0.321*** * |
**0.329*** |
**0.346*** |
**0.455** |
**0.208** |
94,224 |
|
(0.041) |
(0.041) |
(0.046) |
(0.223) |
(0.090) |
(67 countries) | |
|
Combined, with |
***0.373*** * |
**0.377*** |
**0.398*** |
**0.477** |
***0.280*** |
234,093 |
|
wave fixed effects |
(0.038) |
(0.037) |
(0.040) |
(0.198) |
(0.073) |
(79 countries) |
|
World Values Survey: Happiness | ||||||
|
1981-84 wave |
***0.650*** * |
**0.523*** |
0.569** |
1.662 |
0.550 |
22,294 |
|
(0.250) |
(0.263) |
(0.230) |
(0.987) |
(0.688) |
(18 countries) | |
|
1989-93 wave |
***0.710*** * |
**0.725*** |
0.708*** |
0.328 |
0.144 |
49,281 |
|
(0.130) |
(0.128) |
(0.123) |
(0.475) |
(0.309) |
(35 countries) | |
|
1994-99 wave |
***0.319*** * |
**0.335*** |
0.354*** |
0.248 |
**0.212** |
63,785 |
|
(0.056) |
(0.056) |
(0.058) |
(0.235) |
(0.082) |
(46 countries) | |
|
1999-2004 wave |
*0.118* |
**0.138** |
0.126* |
0.766***↑ |
-0.146 |
92,799 |
|
(0.062) |
(0.061) |
(0.073) |
(0.218) |
(0.117) |
(66 countries) | |
|
Combined, with |
***0.229*** * |
**0.245*** |
0.244*** |
0.612***↑ |
-0.015 |
228,159 |
|
wave fixed effects |
(0.055) |
(0.055) |
(0.063) |
(0.170) |
(0.100) |
(79 countries) |
|
Pew Global Attitudes, |
***0.223*** * |
**0.242*** |
**0.224*** |
***0.466** |
**0.168** |
37,974 |
|
2002: Ladder question |
(0.041) |
(0.040) |
(0.041) |
(0.191) |
(0.082) |
(44 countries) |
Notes: Table reports results of regressions of the indicated measure of well-being on log real GDP per capita. Numbers in parentheses are
robust standard errors, clustered by country. Asterisks indicate statistically significant from zero at the *10 percent, **5 percent, and ***1
percent level; ↑ denotes that the coefficient estimate for rich countries is statistically significantly larger than that for poor countries, at the 1
percent level.
Micro data: Ordered probit regressions, using data by respondent, of subjective well-being on log real GDP per capita for the respondent’s
country, weighting observations to give equal weight to each country × wave.
National data: National well-being index is regressed on log real GDP per capita. The well-being index is calculated in a previous ordered
probit regression of well-being on country × wave fixed effects.
Controls: Include a quartic in age, interacted with sex, and indicators for missing age or sex.
Sample size: Only nationally representative samples are analyzed, which eliminated seventeen country-wave observations from ten countries
in the World Values Survey (see appendix B for further details).
Gallup World Poll, 2006: Respondents were asked, “Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to ten at the top.
Suppose we say that the top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible
life for you. If the top step is 10 and the bottom step is 0, on which step of the ladder do you feel you personally stand at the present time?”
World Values Survey, Life satisfaction: Respondents were asked, “All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole
these days?” Possible answers range from 1 (dissatisfied) to 10 (satisfied).
World Values Survey, Happiness: Respondents were asked, “Taking all things together, would you say you are: (1) very happy; (2) quite
happy, (3) not very happy, (4) not at all happy?
Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 2002: Respondents were shown a picture of a ladder with ten steps and asked, “Here is a ladder representing
the ‘ladder of life.’ Let's suppose the top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you, and the bottom, the worse possible life for you.
On which step of the ladder do you feel you personally stand at the present time?” Answers are scored from 1 (bottom rung) to 10 (top rung).
Tables—1