Insee Analyses · February 2022 · n° 71

Living in Île de France has a negative impact on life satisfaction

Life satisfaction depends mainly on individual and family characteristics. After controlling for those indicators, location and place of residence also affect reported well-being. All else being equal, life satisfaction is lower when living in Paris and more generally when living in Île de France. Its highest level is registered in cities and suburban areas with a population between 200,000 and 700,000 inhabitants. Inhabitants of the western part of the country are also more satisfied than in the rest of the country. Life satisfaction increases with the wealth within the living district but has a much weaker impact than the individual standard of living one. Unemployed people are less satisfied than the rest of the population, especially when living in municipalities where unemployment is high. A similar pattern is observed for foreign-born people.

Between 2010-2012 and 2017-2019, life satisfaction remained stable in Paris and in the largest urban areas and slightly decreased elsewhere.