05 Aug Happiness equality
August 4, 2008
Happiness Inequality #1: The Facts
By Justin Wolfers
There is less happiness inequality today than in the 1970’s or 1980’s. And this has occurred despite large increases in income and consumption inequality. Betsey Stevenson and I spell out these facts in a lot more detail in a new paper, “Happiness Inequality in the United States,” forthcoming in the Journal of Legal Studies.
The full paper is here, but if you just want the Cliff Notes version, Eduardo Porter did a terrific job in writing up our findings in this Sunday’s New York Times, here).
We make three main points which I”ll cover in three posts:
1. Today’s post: Happiness inequality has fallen.
2. Tomorrow’s post: Differences in happiness by education have risen; differences by race and gender have fallen.
3. Finally: How to put it all together.
To read the full story about happiness inequality – click here