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Geographical inequalities and subjective wellbeing: the Italian case
We investigate the relationships between geographic inequality and subjective wellbeing in Italy. We
find that life satisfaction is significantly lower in a subset of the South regions and in smaller
municipalities, finding evidence of strong heterogeneity across Southern regions. These findings
match those reporting significantly lower trust in institutions in the Italian Mezzogiorno, coupled with
unexpectedly high interpersonal trust and the number of people to rely on. When we however identify
generative and participative types we find that the latter are significantly happier than their
counterparts, whatever the areas in which they live, and find no divide among generative and
participative individuals of different geographical areas. Overall, our findings show that life
satisfaction is not a destiny tied to birthplace but an achievable outcome related to generative and
participative choices.
Lorenzo Semplici
Leonardo Becchetti, Demetrio M. Bova
Year of publication 2024