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International Area Studies Review
[ Article ]
International Area Studies Review - Vol. 28, No. 3, pp.223-244
ISSN: 2233-8659 (Print)
Print publication date 25 Sep 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.69473/iasr.2025.28.3.223

Is the Corruption-Intolerant Person Happier? An Empirical Study of Attitudes Toward Corruption, Financial Satisfaction, and Subjective Well-Being in India

Jinwon Han*
Gachon-Liberal Arts College, Gachon University, Republic of Korea

Correspondence to: *Email: jinwonhan@gachon.ac.kr

Abstract

Despite India’s nationwide efforts to enhance subjective well-being (SWB), the country’s average SWB consistently falls below the global average. This study addressed this discrepancy by exploring the role of individual attitudes toward corruption in shaping SWB. Drawing from eudaemonism and hedonism, it investigated whether corruption tolerance influences SWB and whether this relationship is moderated by financial satisfaction. The analysis revealed significant main effects of corruption tolerance and financial satisfaction on SWB, as well as a moderating effect of financial satisfaction on life satisfaction, a key dimension of SWB. However, no evidence was found for a moderating effect of financial satisfaction on the relationship between corruption tolerance and happiness, another vital facet of SWB, in the Indian context. In light of the findings, this study highlighted the micro-level importance of attitudes toward corruption in determining SWB and identified financial satisfaction as a potential moderator in this dynamic, offering valuable theoretical insights for future research.

Keywords:

Subjective well-being (SWB), Corruption tolerance, Financial satisfaction, Happiness, Life satisfaction, India

AI Acknowledgment

Generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were not used in any way to prepare, write, or complete essential authoring tasks in this manuscript.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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