Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/330756 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Population Economics [ISSN:] 1432-1475 [Volume:] 38 [Issue:] 3 [Article No.:] 65 [Publisher:] Springer [Place:] Berlin, Heidelberg [Year:] 2025
Publisher: 
Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Abstract: 
Using Chinese panel data, we examine whether citizen well-being impacts the formation of political trust, which is key to regime stability. Through a quasi-experimental method, we demonstrate how an improvement in subjective well-being directly leads to increased political trust. In a supplementary analysis, we also demonstrate how low political trust is predictive of actions that undermine regime stability. These findings suggest that any government, even an authoritarian one, has an incentive to foster the happiness of its citizens.
Subjects: 
Political trust
Life satisfaction
Social contract
Regime stability
Accountability
JEL: 
D72
D78
H11
I31
P35
P48
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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