Perception is Reality: Effect of Subjective Versus Objective Socio-economic Position on Quality of Life

Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that the relationship between social class measured according to employment relations and conditions and quality of life in older people was due to the influence of social class on the perception individuals had about their place in a social hierarchy. We used the data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) in which both an occupation-based measure, the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC) and a subjective measure of social status (SSS) were included. Quality of life was measured using a 19-item Likert-scaled questionnaire (CASP-19). We found that even in the employed, SSS explained quality of life better than NS-SEC. The path analysis revealed that the effects of most NS-SEC categories on quality of life were fully mediated by SSS. The effect of SSS on quality of life was independent of advantageous occupational conditions, favourable life circumstances or mental health.