The 2009 report of the Stiglitz Commission introduced Life satisfaction — on average 7 on a scale from 0 to 10 between June 2016 and June 2023 — as a key piece among new national wealth indicators. This work spreads out the measurement of subjective well-being into 18 dimensions. Average assessments range from 8, on satisfaction about the relationship with family and friends, to 4, on the prospects of the next generation in France. This pessimism towards the future contrasts with a positive assessment of the current situation, and spells fears of degradation of France’s situation.

In most of its aspects, subjective well-being shows a strong social hierarchy. Satisfaction with work and with leisure time are an exception: differences between social classes are unexpectedly small in this domain. Differences in subjective well-being between social classes proceed in a large part from differences in income and living conditions. Once the effect of the social and demographic elements are neutralized, the differences between social classes are thus reduced, but not eliminated. When characteristics (age, income, etc.) are comparable, working-class households are consistently among the least satisfied. Self-employed people (including small business owners) are more satisfied with their work, but less satisfied with they work-life balance.

If they could choose when to live in France, managerial and middle-class households would prefer the present, while others would prefer the 1980s. All social classes experienced the shock of the Covid-19 epidemic in much the same way. Certain national events, such as the Gilets jaunes social movement or the surge in prices since mid-2021, have more contrasting impacts on well-being depending on social class.