The Role of Income Aspirations in Individual Happiness
نویسنده
چکیده
Does individual well-being depend on the absolute level of income and consumption or is it relative to one’s aspirations? In a direct empirical test, it is found that higher income aspirations reduce people’s utility, ceteris paribus. Thereby, individual data on reported satisfaction with life are used as a proxy measure for utility, and income evaluation measures are applied as proxies for people’s aspiration level. Consistent with processes of adaptation and social comparison, income aspirations increase with people’s income as well as with the average income in the community of their residence. (91 words) JEL classification: D60, D63, I31
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