The effect of technological behaviour and beliefs on subjective well-being: the role of technological infrastructure

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to investigate the role of technological infrastructures in the relationship between subjective well-being (SWB) and the use of technological goods on the one hand, and between SWB and technological attitudes on the other. We use the sixth wave of the World Value Survey, which allows us to have comparable data for 60 countries over the period 2010–2014. We show that the use of internet as a means of collecting information is associated with different levels of SWB depending on the efficiency of the technological infrastructure. Moreover, we find a positive, though not always statistically significant, association between scientific and technological attitudes and SWB and show that this relation is stronger in areas with less efficient technological structures. The focus on the linkage between technological infrastructure and SWB paves the way for policy interventions aimed at promoting a coherent development of technological access, use and beliefs.