Americans are generally happy, with marital status and income standing out as two of the most important components of their happiness, according to Chicago Booth’s Sam Peltzman. He analyzed nearly 50 years of data from the NORC at the University of Chicago’s General Social Survey, which since 1972 has asked US adults about their happiness levels. Converting these responses into happiness scores and examining them across sociodemographic factors, he uncovered these findings, as well as some others. Among them: gender, age, and region had minimal influence on happiness levels, but race, education, place of residence, political ideology, and trust in government and others were consequential.
Sam Peltzman, “The Socio Political Demography of Happiness,” Working paper, October 2023.
Chicago Booth’s Jean-Pierre Dubé discusses the benefits of personalizing fines according to people's means.
Should Billionaires Pay Higher Fines?
The standard measure of the CPI doesn’t recognize important aspects of how people experience the economy.
Why Inflation Still Looms Large for US Voters
A study of subsidized training programs and incentives explored who should be included.
To Keep Students Focused, Try Paying Their ParentsYour Privacy
We want to demonstrate our commitment to your privacy. Please review Chicago Booth's privacy notice, which provides information explaining how and why we collect particular information when you visit our website.