Email this article THE ROLE OF DEPENDENCY RATIO IN MEDIATING FERTILITY RATE AND LIFE EXPECTANCY ON HAPPINESS
Abstract
Studies on the determinants of happiness rarely consider age structure. This study examines whether the dependency ratio links fertility rate and life expectancy to national happiness, alongside economic and cultural factors. We use cross-sectional data for 92 countries in 2024 from the World Development Indicators, the World Happiness Report (three-year average life evaluation), and the Culture Factor Group, and estimate a path model by maximum likelihood with robust standard errors. GDP per capita, individualism, and indulgence are positively associated with happiness, as is uncertainty avoidance at the 10% level, while motivation toward achievement and success is negatively associated with it (−0.005 points per index point). Power distance and long-term orientation show no significant association. A one-percentage-point higher dependency ratio is associated with a 0.020-point lower happiness score. One additional birth per woman is associated with an 11.3-percentage-point higher dependency ratio and, through it, a 0.23-point lower happiness score. The indirect association of life expectancy is much smaller (−0.010 points per year) and significant only at the 10% level. Age structure therefore appears alongside income and culture in explaining cross-country differences in happiness. Because the data are cross-sectional and relevant variables are omitted, the results are conditional associations, not causal effects.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/jaedc.v11i2.126627
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