Happy citizens trust their rulers
利用中国面板数据，通过准实验方法发现公民主观幸福感提升会直接增强政治信任，而低政治信任则预示破坏政权稳定的行为，表明任何政府都有激励促进公民幸福。
Abstract Using Chinese panel data, we examine whether citizen well-being impacts the formation of political trust, which is key to regime stability. Through a quasi-experimental method, we demonstrate how an improvement in subjective well-being directly leads to increased political trust. In a supplementary analysis, we also demonstrate how low political trust is predictive of actions that undermine regime stability. These findings suggest that any government, even an authoritarian one, has an incentive to foster the happiness of its citizens.