Income inequality and happiness: Which inequalities matter in China?

Knight, John; Gunatilaka, Ramani

doi:10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101765

Cited by 21 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In terms of research concerning the factors that affect residents' happiness, most research has explored the relationship between residents' income and happiness [28]. These studies have concluded that income disparities and unequal opportunities significantly diminish residents' happiness [29][30][31]. Other research has investigated trends in national happiness, assessed the influence of government quality on residents' happiness [32], and analyzed the effect of fintech development on rural family happiness [33,34].…”

Section: Literature Review and Theoretical Analysis 21 Literature Rev...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollution Control and Well-Being in Rural Areas: A Study Based on Survey Data

Zhou,

Chen,

Liu

et al. 2024

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pollution control is of great value in order to achieve sustainable development and meet the needs of human development. This paper utilizes data from four rounds of longitudinal surveys conducted between 2012 and 2018 as part of the China Labor Force Dynamic Survey. Employing multiple linear regression methods, it empirically investigates the impact of pollution control on the well-being of rural residents. Empirical results show that even after accounting for individual, village, and family characteristics, pollution control significantly affects the happiness of rural residents. Notably, water pollution control emerges as having the most pronounced impact on rural residents’ happiness. Furthermore, pollution control enhances the well-being of rural residents by improving the village environment, fostering family harmony, and enhancing the physical and mental health of individuals. A heterogeneity analysis indicates that pollution control exerts a stronger influence on the happiness of residents in the central and western region and ordinary villages, while its impact is somewhat weaker in the eastern region. Addressing the pollution issue remains imperative, along with stimulating the endogenous drivers of rural ecological revitalization, enhancing the effectiveness of grassroots governance in rural areas, and continually bolstering the sense of well-being and happiness among the populace.

show abstract

Section: Literature Review and Theoretical Analysis 21 Literature Rev...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollution Control and Well-Being in Rural Areas: A Study Based on Survey Data

Zhou,

Chen,

Liu

et al. 2024

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Lately, Wills et al (2022), based on a thorough review, suggested that the discrepant results of economic inequality arise because the psychological effects of economic inequality are driven by its perception rather than its objective indicators (e.g., Gini coefficient; Knight & Gunatilaka, 2022;Willis et al, 2022). They proposed that the psychological effects of economic inequality mainly occur when people perceive it, and not all people perceive a given region as unequal (Willis et al, 2022).…”

Section: Economic Inequality and Belief In Meritocracymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides, perceived economic inequality is more strongly related to many individual-level psychological outcomes (Davidai, 2018). For example, research in China indicated that perceived inequality had a greater effect on happiness than objective inequality (Knight & Gunatilaka, 2022). Therefore, we included both subjective and objective economic inequality in our analysis to fully illustrate the effect of economic inequality on meritocratic beliefs in China.…”

Section: Economic Inequality and Belief In Meritocracymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding to the inconsistent effects of objective economic inequality on various outcomes, researchers suggest that the psychosocial effects of economic inequality depend on its perception (Knight & Gunatilaka, 2022;Willis et al, 2022). Specifically, subjective inequality can address some of the shortcomings of objective measures (e.g., objective inequality may not always be perceived by individuals; Norton & Ariely, 2011) and serve as a more robust predictor of various outcomes (Davidai, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Economic Inequality Perception Dampens Meritocratic Belief in China: The Mediating Role of Perceived Distributive Unfairness

Zhu¹,

Cheng²,

Li³

et al. 2022

rips

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In three studies, we investigated the impact of economic inequality on beliefs about meritocracy and potential mechanisms among the Chinese. Study 1 (N = 19,641) longitudinally substantiated that beliefs about meritocracy abate in tandem with the increasing inequality perception but not objective economic inequality (Gini coefficient). Studies 2a (N = 140) and 2b (N = 269) experimentally showed that inequality perception decreases belief in meritocracy. The lower classes were less willing to believe in meritocracy than the upper classes when exposed to inequality cues (Studies 1 and 2b). In Study 3 (N = 218), we again manipulated the level of economic inequality and found that laypeople construing distribution as unfair mediated the relationship between inequality perception and meritocratic belief. We highlighted that people's interpretation of economic inequality might influence their beliefs about merit.

show abstract

“…Pre-transfer income equals the sum of (1) to (4), posttransfer income equals the sum of pre-transfer income and (5). The share represents the proportion of each income component in post-transfer total income.Next, we consider the within-group and between-group income inequality before and after public transfers Knight and Gunatilaka (2021). show empirically that for people in China mainly narrowly defined inequality matters, arguing that "a reference group can be defined as5 This definition is often used in inequality analyses (see OECD 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%