From Materialist to Postmaterialist Happiness?

Authors: Delhey, Jan
Entry Year: 2009
Entry Number: 2

Suggested citation:

Delhey, Jan (2009). "From Materialist to Postmaterialist Happiness?." World Values Research 2 (2): 31-55 http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org

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Abstract:

This paper takes the theory of value change as developed by Inglehart as a point of de-parture and tests its implications for the determinants of human happiness. It investi-gates whether the importance of post-material concerns for happiness, relative to that of materialist concerns, is indeed higher in rich post-industrial societies. Personal auton-omy and job creativity serve as indicators for post-materialist concerns, the income do-main as an indicator for materialist concerns. The main assumption is put against data for 48 countries from wave 5 of the World Values Survey which covers the full range from poor agrarian to rich post-industrial societies. Employing a multi-level design, the paper indeed reveals a quite consistent pattern towards post-materialist happiness as we move from poor to rich societies. This pattern seems to be driven by both a devalori-zation of material concerns and a valorization of post-materialist concerns, although the evidence suggests that the former trend is stronger and more linear than the latter.

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