Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/156722 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
GLO Discussion Paper No. 56
Publisher: 
Global Labor Organization (GLO), Maastricht
Abstract: 
Previous studies evaluating the welfare cost of air pollution have not paid much attention to its potential effect on mental health and subjective well-being (SWB). This paper attempts to fill the gap by investigating the impact of air pollution on several key dimensions, including mental health status, depressive symptoms, moment-to-moment happiness, and evaluative happiness. We match a nationwide longitudinal survey in China with local air quality and rich weather conditions according to the exact time and place of survey. By making use of variations in exposure to air pollution for the same individuals over time, we show that air pollution reduces hedonic happiness and increases the rate of depressive symptoms, while life satisfaction has little to do with the immediate air quality. Our results shed light on air pollution as an important contributor to the Easterlin paradox that economic growth may not bring more happiness.
Subjects: 
mental health
depression
hedonic happiness
life satisfaction
air pollution
Easterlin paradox
JEL: 
I31
Q53
Q51
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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