The role of culture in shaping the well-being of impoverished populations: a cross-national study

Abstract

Poverty is typically defined through income thresholds in global metrics, yet suffering from poverty refers to the subjective lived experience of hardship, shaped by personal and contextual factors that may mitigate or exacerbate its impact on well-being. This investigation explores how cultural traits are associated with the well-being of impoverished populations, arguing that cultural factors shape the well-being of impoverished groups differently than that of non-impoverished groups. Two main assertions are involved: cultural dimensions are associated with the well-being of impoverished populations, and this role differs between impoverished and non-impoverished populations. Despite extensive research on culture and subjective well-being, a notable gap remains concerning the role of culture in shaping the well-being of impoverished populations. This paper addresses this gap by combining microlevel data from the Gallup World Poll with a multi-country analytical framework covering 75 nations. Adopting a subjective well-being approach encompassing life evaluation, positive affect, and negative affect, the study draws on Hofstede's cultural dimensions framework. The central contribution is distinguishing between the general effect of cultural dimensions at the country level and their specific influence on impoverished populations, offering insights into how cultural context shapes the experience of poverty.