Economic and Children’s Subjective Well-Being Indicators at the National Level in 35 Countries

Abstract

This study uses representative samples of 10- and 12-year-olds from the third wave of the Children’s Words international survey (N = 48,499 10-year-olds from 35 countries, and N= 44,692 12-year-olds from 30 countries) to explore the relationship between four main economic indicators at the country level and a selection of children’s subjective well-being (SWB) indicators. The economic indicators included measures of wealth and wealth inequality, while the SWB indicators included general cognitive and affective indicators of the components of SWB and a selection of satisfaction items with specific life domains or aspects of children’s lives. Separated systematic linear regressions were calculated for each age group—each economic indicator being regressed on each SWB general indicator and on each of the selected satisfaction items. As is the case with previous research, the results do not display significant associations between economic indicators and cognitive SWB when using children’s data at the population level. In contrast, associations were identified between economic and affective indicators, and between the former and the correlation between affective and cognitive SWB at the country level. These results suggest that the affective and cognitive components of children’s SWB display idiosyncratic associations with both wealth and inequality indicators at this level, and that it is very important to analyse SWB components separately. This study also shows that satisfaction with some specific life domains (e.g.: with life as a student, time use or the freedom the child has) may display associations with some economic indicators at the macro level, while satisfaction with other life domains may not, meaning that overall life satisfaction may offer different associations with economic indicators, depending on children’s satisfaction with various life domains in each country. These associations may change with age in some cases. Findings contribute to questioning the hitherto widespread belief that a country’s macro-economic situation has little or no impact on children’s well-being and invite the use of children’s SWB indicators from a quadripartite conception—including overall satisfaction with life and life domains, positive affect and negative affect—to monitor the implementation of public policies aimed at children.