Abstract

TEMKIN YEDWAB, Benjamín; LARA ESCALANTE, Mónica  and  CASTELLANOS CERECEDA, Roberto. Citizen Well-Being and Democracy: the Determinants of Objective and Subjective Well-Being, and their Impact on Democracy Worldwide. Rev. mex. cienc. polít. soc [online]. 2025, vol.70, n.255, pp.69-100.  Epub Apr 13, 2026. ISSN 0185-1918.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fcpys.2448492xe.2025.255.87973.

This article conducts a global-scale analysis of the relationship between multiple variables: economic conditions, happiness, life satisfaction, and perceptions of democracy on one hand; and the economic and political performance of governments on the other. The study presents evidence that components of economic well-being and subjective well-being do not necessarily evolve in tandem or the same direction; rather, they exhibit complex and occasionally contradictory interrelations. The statistical analysis developed in this research demonstrates that the quality of democratic institutions positively influences individuals’ objective well-being, as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). In other words, in cross-country comparisons, democracy as a political system emerges as a significant -albeit generalized- contributing factor to a population’s economic welfare. However, this correlation cannot be conclusively extended to the effects of democracy on subjective well-being, at least when observed at an aggregate level.

Keywords : subjective well-being; objective well-being; Human Development Index; happiness; quality of democracy.

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