Life satisfaction and state intervention
05 May 2011 | Baylor University
People living in countries with governments that have a greater
number of social services report being more satisfied with life,
according to a study by a Baylor University researcher.
Dr. Patrick Flavin, assistant professor of political science at
Baylor, said the effect of state intervention into the economy
equaled or exceeded marriage when it came to satisfaction. The
study is published in the spring issue of the journal Politics
& Policy.
Free market capitalism has been championed by leaders such as
the late President Ronald Reagan and former Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher, while left-leaning political parties and labor movements
argue for more government intervention into the market. But
scholars have paid little empirical attention to the debate in
terms of which leads to more satisfaction among citizens, Flavin
said.
Flavin and two other researchers used data from the World Values
Survey's 2005 study. Their research included 10,405 people from 15
advanced industrialized countries who were asked, "All things
considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these
days?" On a scale of 1 to 10 -- with 10 the highest level of
satisfaction -- the average rating for all respondents was 7.39,
with respondents from the United States reporting an average of
7.26.
The study measured government intervention into the economy in
four ways: government tax revenue as a percentage of its gross
domestic product (GDP), government consumption of GDP, generosity
of unemployment benefits and a country's welfare expenditures as a
percentage of GDP.
"In many cases, less government intervention can allow for a
more efficient economy, but greater economic efficiency doesn't
necessarily translate into greater contentment with one's life,"
Flavin said. "If you get sick and can't work or lose your job and
there are few social protections in place, you're more likely to be
anxious and less satisfied."
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Tags:
Local community, Politics of Happiness