Livability and Subjective Well-Being Across European Cities

Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn () and Rubia R. Valente ()
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Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn: Rutgers University
Rubia R. Valente: Baruch College, CUNY

Applied Research in Quality of Life, 2019, vol. 14, issue 1, No 10, 197-220

Abstract: Abstract This study documents for the first time the correlation between livability and subjective well-being (SWB) across European cities. Livability is measured with the popular Mercer Quality of Living Survey and correlates considerably with SWB, measured as place and life satisfactions. There are outliers, for instance: the “unlivable” but “happy” Belfast (fool’s paradise) and the “livable,” but “unhappy” Paris (fool’s hell). In addition, we find geographic patterns: while the Mercer index ranks higher Western cities, subjective well-being is higher in Northern cities. Smaller cities score higher on both livability and SWB, confirming thus the urban sociological theory of urban malaise while contradicting urban economic theory of city triumph.

Keywords: Satisfaction; Happiness; Subjective well-being; Quality of life; Urban quality of life; Cities; City rankings; Livability; Best places to live; Mercer; Economic theory; Utility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11482-017-9587-7

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