Are fishermen happier? Evidence from a large-scale subjective well-being survey in a lower-middle-income country

Abstract

The literature on life satisfaction among fishermen is divided between those who argue that fishermen are generally happier because of the unique nature of their activities and those who argue otherwise due, among other reasons, to uncertainty and the risk of the job at sea. However, to the best of our knowledge, all recent empirical studies lack relevant control as they are based mainly on surveys among fishermen. Therefore, they cannot be used to empirically test whether being a fisherman is associated with higher or lower subjective well-being. This study is based on the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS), a survey of almost 20,000 individuals from which fishermen and non-fishermen can be identified. The dataset contains information of various socio-economic and employment characteristics, including subjective well-being, such as happiness, and subjective economic ladders. Applying an ordered-probit regressions model, and after controlling for income, demographics, education, health, and regional characteristics, we do not find a result that supports the hypothesis that fishermen are either less happy or have lower subjective well-being than do non-fishermen. However, we find that, in a certain employment status, i.e., self-employed with workers, fishermen are happier than are non-fishermen. Furthermore, we find that fishermen are generally more optimistic in life, as being a fisherman is associated with a positive attitude toward future change in economic status.