The impact of daily weather conditions on life satisfaction: Evidence from cross-sectional and panel data

Life satisfaction has been widely used in recent years for evaluating the effect of environmental factors on individuals' well-being. In this study, using two major health surveys in Canada, we show that after controlling for individuals' socioeconomic characteristics as well as local and seasonal climate, temporal weather variations have an impact on satisfaction with life. This effect is identified in a number of alternative specifications. Women and individuals with poor health condition are more affected by weather conditions. Although being statistically significant, the effect of weather on life satisfaction is small compared with major socioeconomic determinants of well-being. We cannot confirm the results of past studies which find an effect of long term climate variables on life satisfaction.