Is a Country’s Aggregate Income Related to Its Level of Happiness?

Authors

Alexis Crispin, Fort Hays State UniversityFollow
Sam Schreyer, Fort Hays State UniversityFollow

Award Level

2nd Place - Empirical Undergraduate

Classification

Empirical Undergraduate

Abstract

The Easterlin paradox suggests that a greater level of economic prosperity does not translate into more happiness for a society. We investigate this paradox using a methodology new to this literature called quantile regression (QR) analysis. We find evidence that aggregate income is statistically related to a nation’s average level of happiness, but (i) the magnitude of this relationship is relatively modest, and (ii) greater levels of income bring about smaller and smaller increases in a nation’s happiness. These results provide a more nuanced understanding of the empirical support for and against the Easterlin paradox.

Department/Program

Economics, Finance, & Accounting

Submission Type

in-person poster

DOI

10.58809/UHNH8833

Date

4-17-2018

Rights

Copyright the Author(s)

Comments

For questions contact ScholarsRepository@fhsu.edu

Recommended Citation

Crispin, Alexis and Schreyer, Sam (2018) "Is a Country’s Aggregate Income Related to Its Level of Happiness?," SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days: Vol. 2018, Article 15.
DOI: 10.58809/UHNH8833
Available at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sacad/vol2018/iss2018/15