Child poverty and subjective well-being: The impact of children's perceptions of fairness and involvement in intra-household sharing

Abstract

This article addresses the impact on subjective well-being of children's perceptions of the fairness of, and their involvement in, decisions around how family money is managed and resources allocated. The aim of the research is to contribute to the literatures on including children's perceptions in how child poverty is measured, and on the links between child poverty and children's subjective well-being. Results draw on secondary analysis of a Children's Society survey of 1000 children in mainstream schools in England, in the school year in which the average age is 14. Three questions asked children's perceptions of the fairness with which their views are taken into account in family financial decisions; the fairness of who gets what in terms of resources in their families; and the level of involvement they perceive themselves to have in family money management. Children's responses are associated with child deprivation, but not with family affluence. Perceptions of unfairness and under involvement in family money management are associated with lower subjective well-being, and their combined effect is stronger than that of child deprivation or family affluence. Further research to develop these questions and further explore their associations with poverty and subjective well-being is indicated.