Freedom and life satisfaction in transition

Freedom and life satisfaction are desirable conditions and they both have a special meaning in Eastern Europe–transition was largely about gaining freedom and ultimately overall well-being. There are several studies about the effect of freedom on life satisfaction, but none of them focuses on Eastern Europe. I investigate the effect of self-reported freedom on life satisfaction in post-transition Eastern Europe using the World Values Survey. Surprisingly, East Europeans feel less free and less satisfied with their lives than other nationals. But a personal feeling of freedom increases their life satisfaction at a higher rate than in other countries. Freedom is a strong predictor of life satisfaction as compared to national income.This is the author's version of an article published in Society and Economy 37(2), 2015. The final published version is available at http://www.akademiai.com/doi/abs/10.1556/204.2015.37.2.1Peer reviewe