The relationship between culture and subjective well-being in a comparative perspective: evidence from individualism-collectivism

Abstract

The literature on subjective well-being (SWB) has identified differences in the level of satisfaction with life in different countries, which are only partially justified by economic characteristics. The objective of this article is to identify whether cultural characteristics influence the degree of satisfaction declared in different countries of the World Values ​​Survey database. A two-step strategy was adopted, incorporating the individualism-collectivism cultural dimension constructed through Multiple Correspondence Analysis, and subsequent estimation of a multilevel econometric model to determine the SWB. The results indicate a cultural effect on the SWB but limited to some groups of countries.