Do alcohol consumption and happiness have a correlation?
In our project we investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption, happiness, GDP per capita, and drinking age. Our original goal going into this project was to solely investigate the relationship between alcohol and happiness, but we soon realized we could expand this scope further. By also considering factors like GDP per capita and the drinking age for each country, we discovered we could conduct a more holistic analysis of alcohol’s impact on various countries. Below, we make use of a variety of different data visualizations such as scatterplots, choropleth maps, and interactive world maps to further explore the relationship between alcohol consumption, happiness, GDP per capita, and drinking age. We hope you enjoy!
For the Alcohol Consumption vs Happiness Index graph, while there isn’t the strongest correlation between the two, on average, as the happiness index for a given country increases, the average alcohol consumption also increases.
In the Alcohol Consumption vs GDP Per Capita graph, there is a stronger correlation between the two. On average, as GDP per capita for a given country increases, average alcohol consumption also increases.
Of course, while causation cannot be implied since there are so many outliers, a correlation between alcohol consumption and happiness can be observed.
In the Alcohol Consumption by Country world map, it is evident that alcohol consumption is highest in western, often more developed nations (such as most of Europe, Australia, the United States, and Canada). By comparison, alcohol consumption is much lower in the rest of the world, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
In the Happiness Index by Country world map, it appears that the Americas (North America, Central America, and South America) are on average happier than much of the rest of the world (aside from western Europe). Much of Africa and Asia have comparatively lower happiness ratings.
For the Legal Drinking age by Country world map, most nations have the minimum drinking age at 18. However, there are some countries, primarily in the Middle East and Southeastern Asia, that have higher drinking ages.
It is interesting to note that two of the highest GDP per capita countries, Qatar and Luxembourg, have similar levels of happiness yet have drastically different alcohol use amounts.
Related to the above insight, on the map as a whole, it appears that alcohol consumption is lowest in primarily Muslim areas and highest in more western nations. This would suggest that alcohol consumption is also heavily dependent on culture.
In the Alcohol Consumption by Country for each Legal Drinking Age map, it is hard to draw any definite conclusions based on how alcohol consumption is related to drinking age—particularly because so many countries have the legal drinking age set at 18. However, we can note that those with a legal drinking age of 16 often have high alcohol consumption and that those with a legal drinking age of 21 primarily have a low alcohol consumption (aside from the U.S. and Cambodia).
In the Happiness Index by Country for each Legal Drinking Age map, it is again difficult to draw any specific conclusions primarily because so many countries have the legal drinking age set at 18. However, similar to the above, we can note that those with a legal drinking age of 16 almost all have relatively high happiness ratings and those with a legal drinking age of 21 almost all have relatively low happiness ratings.
While it is hard to draw any definite conclusions about how alcohol consumption is related to happiness, drinking age, and GDP per capita, we can generally observe the following phenomena:
As happiness increases, alcohol consumption increases
As drinking age increases, alcohol consumption decreases
As GDP per capita increases, alcohol consumption increases
These findings are in line with our expectations, as alcohol can usually be quite expensive and it is often used as a recreational substance. In wealthier countries, people often have more free time and have more money to spend on things that they may not need, so it makes sense alcohol consumption is higher. In poorer countries, people usually have less free time and less money to spend, often resulting in lower alcohol use.