Urbanization, Natural Amenities, and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from U.S. Counties

John Winters and Yu Li

No 8966, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper examines the effects of county-level urbanization and natural amenities on subjective well-being (SWB) in the U.S. SWB is measured using individual-level data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) which asks respondents to rate their overall life satisfaction. Using individual-level SWB data allows us to control for several important individual characteristics. The results suggest that urbanization lowers SWB, with relatively large negative effects for residents in dense counties and large metropolitan areas. Natural amenities also affect SWB, with warmer winters having a significant positive effect on self-reported life-satisfaction. Implications for researchers and policymakers are discussed.

Keywords: subjective well-being; urbanization; population density; amenities; quality of life (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I00 Q00 R00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2015-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap, nep-lab, nep-ltv and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Published - published in: Urban Studies, 2017, 54 (8), 1956-1973

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Related works:
Journal Article: Urbanisation, natural amenities and subjective well-being: Evidence from US counties (2017)
Working Paper: Urbanization, Natural Amenities, and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from U.S. Counties (2015)
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