In 2012, Time magazine reporting on a study published in the ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'' by a team from the University of Southern California headed by economist Richard Easterlin:
{{Cquote|Despite an unprecedented rate of economic growth, China’s life satisfaction over the past two decades has largely followed the trajectory seen in the central- and eastern-European transition countries — a decline followed by a recovery, with no change or a declining trend over the period as a whole. There is no evidence of a marked increase in life satisfaction in China of the magnitude that might have been expected based on the fourfold increase in the level of per capita consumption during that period. In its transition, China has shifted from one of the most egalitarian countries in terms of distribution of life satisfaction to one of the least egalitarian. Life satisfaction has declined markedly in the lowest-income and least-educated segments of the population, while rising somewhat in the upper (socioeconomic status) stratum.<ref>[http://world.time.com/2012/05/15/for-china-economic-growth-doesnt-always-equal-happiness/ For China, Economic Growth Doesn’t Always Equal Happiness], Time magazine</ref>}}
Time Magazine also indicated:
{{Cquote|While China’s poorest are increasingly unhappy, it’s unlikely that the country will see Arab Spring–like unrest and revolt. The problems are too diffuse and the state security organs too adept at clamping down on acts of dissent that have the potential for wider appeal. But on a local level, protest is widespread, averaging about 500 a day nationwide, according to economist Niu Wenyuan, an adviser to China’s State Council.<ref>[http://world.time.com/2012/05/15/for-china-economic-growth-doesnt-always-equal-happiness/ For China, Economic Growth Doesn’t Always Equal Happiness], Time magazine</ref>}}
== Irreligious countries with a Protestant cultural heritage ==