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Life Satisfaction and Economic Conditions in East and West Germany Pre- and Post-Unification

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  • Richard A. Easterlin
  • Anke C. Zimmermann

Abstract

Economic disruption in East Germany at the time of unification resulted in a noticeable drop in life satisfaction. By the late 1990s East Germany's life satisfaction had recovered to about its 1990 level, and its shortfall relative to West Germany was slightly less than that before unification. In West Germany life satisfaction was fairly constant before unification, but subsequently trended moderately downward, with Turkish life satisfaction declining noticeably relative to Germans. Changes in life satisfaction in East and West Germany both for Germans and foreigners are most closely associated with relative income variables, not absolute income.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard A. Easterlin & Anke C. Zimmermann, 2008. "Life Satisfaction and Economic Conditions in East and West Germany Pre- and Post-Unification," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 95, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp95
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Life satisfaction; happiness; relative income; income satisfaction; transition economies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • O52 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Europe
    • P3 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions

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