Do ethical values influence quality of life? A review of 187 countries

Ellysson Fernandes Rosa; Renato Rodrigues Silva; Estela Najberg

doi:10.1590/0034-761220250533x

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Ellysson Fernandes Rosa Controladoria-Geral do Estado de Goiás https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9401-7828
- Conceptualization
- Data Curation
- Formal Analysis
- Investigation
- Funding Acquisition
- Methodology
- Project Administration
- Resources
- Software
- Supervision
- Validation
- Visualization
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Writing – Review & Editing
Renato Rodrigues Silva Federal University of Goiás https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1934-8141
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Visualization
- Validation
- Supervision
- Software
- Resources
- Project Administration
- Methodology
- Investigation
- Funding Acquisition
- Formal Analysis
- Data Curation
- Conceptualization
Estela Najberg Federal University of Goiás https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2852-4442
- Writing – Review & Editing
- Writing – Original Draft Preparation
- Visualization
- Validation
- Supervision
- Software
- Resources
- Project Administration
- Methodology
- Investigation
- Funding Acquisition
- Formal Analysis
- Data Curation
- Conceptualization

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-761220250533x

Keywords:

ethical values, quality of life, ethics, human development, social indicators

Abstract

The ultimate purpose of social wellbeing is to achieve the common good and improve the quality of life (QoL) of citizens. This suggests that high QoL may be partially explained by certain ethical values embedded in societies’ cultures. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to validate the Ethical Values Construct (EVC) and review the relationship between ethical values and QoL in the 187 countries evaluated. The construct was validated using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), and the results indicate a strong relation between ethical values and the social QoL of the analysed nations. We find that the EVC, — comprising freedom, through political, expression, and economic rights; order, via social rule-following, interpersonal trust, and legal certainty; commitment to the public interest, involving social balance, self-sacrifice, and environmental sustainability; and private entrepreneurial culture, characterized by competitiveness, innovation, and seek of excellence — demonstrates a strong connection with QoL.

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Author Biographies

Ellysson Fernandes Rosa, Controladoria-Geral do Estado de Goiás

Ph.D. in Administration from the Federal University of Goiás (UFG); Chief Auditor at the Office of the Comptroller General of the State of Goiás (CGE-GO); Professor of Public Administration at FacUnicamps University Center.

Renato Rodrigues Silva, Federal University of Goiás

M.Sc. in Statistics and Agricultural Experimentation and Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding from Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (ESALQ-USP); Professor at the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Federal University of Goiás (UFG).

Estela Najberg, Federal University of Goiás

Ph.D. in Administration from the São Paulo School of Business Administration at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (EAESP-FGV); Full Professor at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG).