Recognition and Happiness: A Cross-Country Panel Study

This study aims to investigate the relationship between recognition and subjective well-being (SWB) by drawing on data from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) Panel Data, encompassing both the 1st wave (2020–2022), 2nd and the forthcoming 3rd wave. The project leverages this unique, large-scale longitudinal dataset—comprising approximately 200,000 participants—to explore how different forms of social recognition are associated with both affective and cognitive dimensions of well-being across a diverse set of countries in the Global South and Global North. Our central hypothesis is that recognition—in its various forms, such as emotional support, legal inclusion, and social esteem—plays a fundamental role in shaping individual happiness and life satisfaction. The study is conceptually grounded in Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition, which identifies three key dimensions: (1) love, or emotional and affective recognition within intimate relationships; (2) rights, or legal and moral recognition that affirms the individual’s status as an autonomous subject; and (3) solidarity, or social esteem derived from being valued for one’s contributions to a community. Using panel data methods, we aim to account for unobserved individual heterogeneity and assess how changes in recognition-related experiences correspond to changes in subjective well-being over time. In addition, the study will compare patterns across regions to understand how contextual and cultural factors may moderate these relationships. The expected outcomes of this research include empirical evidence on the role of recognition as a social determinant of well-being, policy-relevant insights on how to promote happiness and social cohesion, and theoretical contributions to the interdisciplinary literature on well-being, social justice, and recognition.