Ur abstract till artikeln "Free to choose? Economic freedom, relative income, and life control perceptions" av Hans Pitlik och Martin Rode i The International Journal of Wellbeing

living in a country with high overall economic freedom is a major determinant of feeling in control of one’s own life. The effect is similar for individuals in high- and low-income countries, while the impact of democracy is negligible in both cases. Interacting relative income with economic freedom, we find that, contrary to conventional wisdom, it is by far the lower income groups that derive the biggest gain of perceived life control from living in a country with comparatively high economic freedom.