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Studies

Veenhoven (1984): study ZZ 1974 /1

Publication

Author(s):
Veenhoven, R.
Title:
Conditions of Happiness.
Source:
Kluwer Academic, 1984 (reprint), Dordrecht, The Netherlands

Investigation

Public
15+ aged, general public, 14 nations and regions, 1974-1976
Sample
Respondents
N = 6563
Non Response
Assessment
Questionnaire: Paper & Pencil Interview (PAPI)
Conducted by Gallup bureaus in different countries.

Happiness Measure(s) and Distributional Findings

Full text:
Self report on single question:

"To indicate how you feel about your life at this time, would you use this card? Suppose the top of the mountain represents the best life you can imagine, and the bottom step of the mountain represents the worst possible life you can imagine. On which step of the mountain would you say you personally feel you stand at this time? - assuming that the higher the step the better you feel about your life, and the lower the step the worse you feel about it. Just point to the step that comes closest to how you feel"
10  best possible life
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0  worst possible life

(Mountain scale not reproduced here)
Classification:
C-BW-c-sq-m-11-a
Author's label:
Overall happiness.

Correlational Findings

Author's label Subject Description Finding Suicide rates Suicide in nation GNP per capital GDP per capita in nation (raw) Average life expectancy Life-expectancy in the nation Inflation Inflation in nation Public health expenditure Public health in nation Income inequality Income inequality in nation Coercion by government Political freedom in nation Freedom of press Freedom of press in nation Liberal democracy Parliamentary democracy in nation Degree of 'interest democracy' Interest democracy (interest-groups) in nation Political protest Political violence in nation Internal war Civil war in nation Civic disorders Civil war in nation