I feel good: Exploring the influence of social and environmental dimensions of regional development on the subjective well-being of European citizens

This article investigates how regions’ ability to pursue sustainable development trajectories affects individual subjective well-being. In particular, it disentangles the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability by examining the relative role of social capital, public safety, and green innovation capacity in shaping individuals’ quality of life. Empirically, the study relies on a cross-sectional analysis of 255 European regions over the period 2000–2018, using data from the OECD Regional Well-Being database, OECD RegPat, ARDECO, Eurostat, the EU Labour Force Survey, and the EU-NED database. The results show that subjective well-being is positively influenced by all dimensions of sustainability, with social factors exerting a stronger effect than environmental ones. The conclusions highlight relevant policy and managerial implications for steering future regional development trajectories.