Selected Manuscript

We congratulate you on acceptance of your manuscript.

EDULEARN24

Annual Expo by the Journal of Young Explorers Meta

  • Fundamental or applied research
  • Interdisciplinary research
  • Judging on a rolling basis
  • A work-in-progress research
  • Completed research
  • Unlimited topics and ideas
  • ISBN 979-8-89238-262-5
  • NYCSEA/NESEP/JYEM event at Harvard Club in NYC
  • Featured Publication - On going

A Quantitative Analysis of Global Well-Being

by Lucas Papamitsakis
October 06, 2025 ISBN: 979-8-89480-845-1 NYCSEA Journal

Abstract: The study of well-being has become increasingly important in society during the past few decades, especially after the COVID-19 Pandemic. While exploration of the different features of individual well-being has grown substantially, research has lagged in comprehending trends of global-scale well-being. This paper aims to delve deeper into the properties that make up global well-being and to track the indicators that yield the greatest influence on a nation’s quality of life. Such findings could help guide government policies for the improvement of public life and provide a more abstract understanding of measuring general well-being. To conduct this analysis of 183 countries, I compiled seven socioeconomic indicators from the United Nations Human Development Programme and The World Bank, and I chose the Human Development Index (HDI) to represent the well-being of each country. I utilized the Python language to deploy multivariate Linear Regression models to analyze the extent to which each indicator influences the HDI of a country, and I validated the observed relationships using regression slope t-tests, Mean Test Error, and R-squared. This study found that the College Enrollment and Control of Corruption indicators demonstrated a universal positive correlation to HDI, regardless of developmental or regional differences in countries, while the other chosen indicators varied in influence from region to region. Governments of developing countries could use the detailed impacts of each indicator to properly allocate funds to improve the necessary socioeconomic aspects of their societies.

References

  1. C. M. Keyes, “Social Well-Being,” Social Psychology Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 121-40, 1998. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2307/2787065.

  2. G. Bognar, "The Concept of Quality of Life," Social Theory and Practice, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 561-80, 2005. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23558534.

  3. D. J. Slottje, “Measuring the Quality of Life Across Countries,” The Review of Economics and Statistics, vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 684-93, 1991. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2307/2109407.

  4. E. Diener and E. Suh, "Measuring Quality of Life: Economic, Social, and Subjective Indicators," Social Indicators Research, vol. 40, no. 1/2, pp. 189-216, 1997. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27522973.

  5. United Nations Development Programme, What is Human Development, Accessed 2024. Retrieved from https://hdr.undp.org/about/human-development.

  6. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, "Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators," OECD Publishing Paris 2021, 2021. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1787 /ae3016b9-en.

  7. U.S Agency Millenium Challenge Corporation, Control of Corruption Indicator, Accessed 2024. Retrieved from https://www.mcc.gov/who-we-select/indicator/control-of-corruption-indicator.

  8. W. Chen, "How Education Enhances Happiness: Comparison of Mediating Factors in Four East Asian Countries," Social Indicators Research, vol. 106, no. 1, pp. 117-31, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41409378.

  9. A. Ferrer-i-Carbonell, "Income and well-being: an Empirical Analysis of the Comparison Income Effect,” Journal of Public Economics, vol. 89, Issues 5-6, pp. 997-1019, 2005. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2004.06.003.

  10. C. Woo, "Good Governance and Happiness: Does Technical Quality of Governance Lead to Happiness Universally in Both Rich and Poor Countries," Journal of International and Area Studies, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 37-56, 2018. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/26485929.

  11. F. Ohtake, "Unemployment and Happiness," Japan Labor Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 59-74, 2012.

  12. J. Ha, M. Ayhan Kose, and F. Ohnsorge. "Inflation in Emerging and Developing Economies; Evolution, Drivers and Policies," The World Bank Group, 2019.

  13. J. F. Helliwell, R. Layard, J. Sachs, and J. De Neve. "World Happiness Report 2021," Sustainable Development Solutions Network, 2021.