Year: 2019 | Month: March | Volume 64 | Issue 1

Democratic Values, Freedom, Control and Life Satisfaction

Suraj Sharma
DOI:10.30954/0424-2513.1.2019.26

Abstract:

The present study tries to measure the level of life satisfaction for individuals from Asia & Australasia and capture the determinants in deciding one’s satisfaction level. The study hypothesized that whether democratic values and ethics play a significant role in determining one’s level of life satisfaction and for testing the same on econometric tools the study presents the methodology and conceptual framework in subsequent sections. The study uses the latest wave (wave six) of World Value Survey which was conducted during 2010-14. Results show that democratic values affect SWB most significantly and found to be the strongest predictor of SWB, however, this relation is insignificant with positive signs for Hybrid democracies. Importance to politics and religion results in decreased odds of SWB for Full and Flawed democracies but here too the relationship is opposite in case of Hybrid democracies resulting in increased SWB for every scale increase in importance to politics and religion. Tax cheating attitude is found to be negatively accounting for SWB in case of Full and Hybrid democracies where trust on national institutions (particularly in Full democracies) is a virtue and results in increased odds of SWB, this relation is very opposite in case of Flawed democracies where cheat on tax is associated with increased odds of SWB and increased trust in national institutions results in decreasing SWB. The study suggests that contemporary governments should engage common people in policy decision making, give freedom for creativity and controlling their own life as they want and revitalize the education system to have a better future generation who takes care of these values and feel happy being obedient.





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