Table 2.

Description of the predictor variables for the Gallup World Happiness Data. For a more detailed description of the variables see technical box 1 of Gallop’s complete report

Predictor	Abbreviation	Description
GDP per Capita	W	The relative purchasing power of inhabitants of a country, based on data from the World Bank.
Life expectancy	Le	Life expectancy based on data from the World Health Organization.
Social support	Ss	The nation-wide average of responses to the question: ‘If you were in trouble, do you have relatives or friends you can count on to help whenever you need them, or not?’
Freedom	F	The nation-wide average to the question: ‘Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your freedom to choose what you do with your life?’
Generosity	Ge	The nation-wide average ‘Have you donated to a charity in the last month?’
Perception of corruption	Poc	The nation-wide average to the questions ‘Is corruption widespread throughout the government or not?’ and ‘Is corruption widespread within businesses or not?’.