Happiness and Income - Analysis of the relationship between happiness and income

Abstract: The relationship between happiness and GDP per capita is relatively controversial due to the various findings. Therefore, this paper investigates the relationship between GDP per capita and happiness for 37 European countries between 2002 and 2018. Using data from the European Social Survey, we test if variations in GDP per capita across countries affect the average happiness of the countries. Controlling for socio-demographic variables and country heterogeneity, we obtain estimates suggesting a positive and significant relationship between GDP per capita and happiness.