Analytical report on subjective well-being: 2016 edition

The analysis attempts to explain variations in subjective well-being using a range of variables included in Eurostat's Quality of Life framework and employing multivariate regression analysis as method. Three analytical models are used. The first one contains only socio-demographic variables (sex, age, citizenship, etc.), while in the second one objective variables (e.g.: income, health status) included in each dimension of the Quality of life framework are added, in order to test their impact. In the third model the effect of additional variables measuring subjective evaluations or perceptions (e.g. mental well-being, trust) is tested. The impact of different types of potential well-being drivers is therefore evaluated and described, while controlling for the effect of the others The second part of the paper presents results of applying the models on different population subgroups (such as gender or particular age groups). A third section of the paper discusses the influences of country level variables (e.g.: inequality, level of economic development) on life satisfaction. The final part presents country patterns of the most influential drivers that have been identified according to the models applied in the previous sections.