IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/jhappi/v26y2025i2d10.1007_s10902-025-00860-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Revisiting the Energy-Happiness Paradox in China: The Role of Housing Outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Haitao Du

    (South China Normal University
    University of Glasgow)

  • Bo Zhang

    (Guangzhou University
    Guangdong Provincial Center for Urban and Migration Studies)

Abstract

Environmental sustainability and enhanced human happiness are fundamentally a question of tradeoffs. Although energy consumption creates air pollution and leads to climate disruption, the role of household energy consumption in individual happiness is noteworthy. Using survey data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this work revisits the energy-happiness paradox hypothesis and, using multilevel analysis, elaborates on the role of housing outcomes in the energy-happiness nexus. Research results show that, in China, more energy consumption can lead to greater happiness. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the housing outcomes related to tenure, dwelling location, and multiple homeownership also impact the energy-happiness nexus. Therefore, improving individual happiness and reducing overall energy consumption requires that the government address the inequality in energy consumption between cohorts with different housing outcomes while also promoting energy efficiency. The findings here are valuable in devising and developing energy consumption policies aiming to achieve a balance between the positive and negative consequences of energy consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Haitao Du & Bo Zhang, 2025. "Revisiting the Energy-Happiness Paradox in China: The Role of Housing Outcomes," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 1-28, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:26:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10902-025-00860-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-025-00860-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10902-025-00860-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10902-025-00860-0?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:26:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10902-025-00860-0. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.