Reevaluating the role of geographical regional factors in subjective well-being

Recognizing that economic indicators are insufficient for assessing societal progress, governments are increasingly turning to subjective well-being to inform policies. However, psychological research on well-being has predominantly focused on person-level factors and interventions, often overlooking broader macro-level contexts, such as where individuals live. This study systematically quantifies the extent to which national and sub-national regional conditions explain variation in subjective well-being, using large international (N = 1,667,495, 154 countries, 2009–2024) and U.S. datasets (N = 3,124,648, 1223 counties, 2008–2017). One-fifth of life satisfaction variance (18.96%) is attributable to national-level conditions, while sub-country regions (e.g., counties or states) account for marginal proportions of variance. By contrast, positive and negative affect show a smaller variance attributable to any geographical level. These findings underscore the role of national conditions in promoting well-being and support the use of life satisfaction, rather than affective measures, as a reliable policy indicator.