Effects of the Great East Japan Earthquake on Subjective Well-Being

DOI
  • Ishino Takuya
    Faculty of Economics, Keio University
  • Kamesaka Akiko
    School of Business Administration, Aoyama Gakuin University Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
  • Murai Toshiya
    Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
  • Ogaki Masao
    Faculty of Economics, Keio University

Description

Using large panel data which consist of responses from over 4000 households in all over Japan, we analyze changes in people's worldviews and subjective well-being (happiness) before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake. As a result we find that 1) there were more people—more than six times as many—who replied that their happiness improved after the earthquake than those who said it worsened, and also that 2) many more Japanese people have become more altruistic since the earthquake, even in the most affected areas. One possible interpretation of these results is that many Japanese became more altruistic as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake, made donation, and donating improved people's happiness. Our regression analysis that allows for reverse causality yields results that are consistent with this interpretation.

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Details 詳細情報について

  • CRID
    1390001205344804864
  • NII Article ID
    130004554940
  • DOI
    10.11167/jbef.5.269
  • ISSN
    21853568
  • Text Lang
    en
  • Data Source
    • JaLC
    • CiNii Articles
  • Abstract License Flag
    Disallowed

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