Would You Be Happier Living in a Greener Urban Area? A Fixed-Effects Analysis of Panel Data

Urbanization is a potential threat to mental health and well-being. Cross-sectional evidence suggests that living closer to urban green spaces, such as parks, is associated with lower mental distress. However, earlier research was unable to control for time-invariant heterogeneity (e.g., personality) and focused on indicators of poor psychological health. The current research advances the field by using panel data from over 10,000 individuals to explore the relation between urban green space and well-being (indexed by ratings of life satisfaction) and between urban green space and mental distress (indexed by General Health Questionnaire scores) for the same people over time. Controlling for individual and…

• AF
  Association for Psychological Science
• UO
  University of Exeter
• ER
  European Regional Development Fund
• ES
  European Social Fund