Evidence suggests that a relationship may yet exist between income and happiness, but using metrics such as the Gallup World poll, happiness gaps among countries, and in Denmark in particular, may have deeper unknown variables at work that transcend income inequality. General disparities of inequality in Danish society are low and are a part of the broader moral philosophy of egalitarianism that is characteristic of Scandinavia and holds that policymakers be morally impelled to suppress inequality as much as possible. Denmark, in terms of this institutional egalitarianism, has been labelled as having a social-democratic regime of welfare. The substantiality of the welfare state's reach in Denmark concerning income equality has led it to protect its citizens against the worst impact of the market and capitalism's more destabilizing effects. Even amid bad economic conditions in Denmark's past, poverty has lessened and standards of living and equality have increased. The preponderance of the evidence between income inequality and happiness suggests a possible link, but more research is needed for far-ranging conclusions.
