Ruut Veenhoven with the assistance of Joop Ehrhardt
Published in: Social Indicators Research, 1995, vol. 34, pp 33—68.
ABSTRACT.
Predictions about level and dispersion of happiness in nations are
derived from three theories of happiness: comparison-theory, folklore-theory
and livability-theory. The predictions are tested on two cross national
data-sets: a comparative survey among university students in 38 nations in 1985
and a collection of comparable general population surveys in 28 nations around
1980. Most predictions of comparison-theory and folklore-theory are defied by
the data. The predictions of livability-theory are all confirmed.