ABSTRACT
Latin America, which we take to be the Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries from Mexico in the north to Argentina and Chile in the south, is an important region for understanding the wellbeing of Indigenous peoples globally. First, Latin America is home to a very large and diverse set of Indigenous peoples. Second, Latin America, are outliers from the global relationship between subjective wellbeing and GDP per capita. Third, the gap between standard socioeconomic measures for the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations of many countries in Latin America are very large. In this chapter we take a multi-level approach to build a better understanding of the subjective wellbeing determinants and outcomes across the region. We present national cross-country comparisons of subjective wellbeing trends over recent times, as well as trends by Indigenous status and age groups. We then focus on a case study of Mexico’s Indigenous people, and again analyse trends in subjective wellbeing over time and by age groups. Finally, we present a modelling framework and regression analysis that aims at better understanding the determinants of subjective wellbeing outcomes. One of the main findings from the analysis is the very important link between perceptions of safety and life improvements.
