The Local Environment and Subjective Well-being

Richard Belcher, Daniela Fecht and Martin Weale

Discussion Papers from Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence

Abstract: This paper explores whether it is possible to use the well-being data collected in the survey Understanding Society to produce estimates of the cost put on local air pollution or proximity to a main road and the value placed on proximity to green space. The conclusions are rather negative. Calculations based on the 2012/13 wave point and the 2016/17 wave give very different answers, and a differences in differences approach shows no significant environmental effect. In the near term it seems unlikely that this approach could form a basis for the inclusion of environmental influences in measures of local well-being.

Keywords: Measures of Well-being; Environmental Costs and Benefits; Small-area Statistics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I31 Q51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-10-29
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eoe:escoed:escoe-dp-2025-14

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