Title: Born lucky – or just lucky to be born rich? A note

Authors: Gerd Groezinger

Addresses: Collegium Mare Balticum (CMB), Universitat Flensburg, Auf dem Campus 1, D-24943 Flensburg, Germany

Abstract: A paper by social psychologists proclaimed that, for UK citizens, it could be shown that being born in the summer half-year was associated with a significantly higher belief in being lucky, compared with being born in the winter half-year. Are we that much determined by nonsocial forces? A test with German data about well-being also yielded a summer high, but smaller and somewhat time-lagged. However, the observed peak in well-being in the summer half-year was entirely due to a corresponding seasonal class distribution of births.

Keywords: happiness; class structure; education; Germany; UK; United Kingdom; seasons; summer; winter; social psychology; beliefs; determinants; wealth; luck; births; seasonal class distribution; birth rates; non-social forces; public policy; governance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPP.2010.032306

International Journal of Public Policy, 2010 Vol.5 No.4, pp.430 - 435

Published online: 29 Mar 2010 *

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