Does the 2030 agenda generate happiness? A longitudinal approach to the SDGs vs. the well-being of the world

Abstract

This research aims to determine the relationship between the SDGs and the happiness of people in 40 developed and 114 developing countries since the 2030 Agenda initiative was implemented back in 2015. No literature measures such an  impact and it is essential to start the debate on the matter. This study determined that the relationship between the SDGs and the world’s happiness among the time horizons analyzed (2015-2021) is negligible through a set of panel data and multiple linear regressions.  There is much greater structural happiness that comes from sources other than the 2030 agenda. However, although most of these relationships are negative, the classification of the statistically significant SDGs into Maslow’s pyramid offers a novel view that allows prioritizing taking actions first on those SDGs associated with the most basic needs of people. This  study offers opportunities for future research into why an initiative such as the 2030 Agenda which seeks to generate well-being has the opposite effect and proposes that the initiatives associated with the 2030 Agenda be first linked to the SDGs at the bottom of Maslow's pyramid  and that they progressively ascend as positive correlations are achieved between the SDGs and people's well-being.