ERIC Number: EJ786860
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-Jul
Pages: 22
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0303-8300
EISSN: N/A
Is It Culture or Democracy? The Impact of Democracy and Culture on Happiness
Dorn, David; Fischer, Justina A. V.; Kirchgassner, Gebhard; Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
Social Indicators Research, v82 n3 p505-526 Jul 2007
We analyze the relation between democracy and perceived subjective well-being while controlling for other relevant determinants such as culture measured by languages. We conduct a cross-national analysis covering 28 countries using data from the 1998 International Social Survey Programme. Contrasting existing empirical evidence, we observe a significant positive relationship between democracy and happiness even when controlling for income and culture measured by language and religion. The effect of democracy on happiness is stronger in countries with an established democratic tradition.
Descriptors: Democracy, Psychological Patterns, Cultural Influences, Well Being, Correlation, Cross Cultural Studies, Foreign Countries, Surveys, Income, Socioeconomic Status, Religious Factors, Democratic Values, Social Indicators
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A