Socioeconomic differentials in life satisfaction in Australia

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the relationship between life satisfaction and a range of social, health, economic and demographic indicators. The data used in this study was collected from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Results showed variables such as job satisfaction, marital status, as well as indicators of health and communication participation, to be associated with higher satisfaction rates. By contrast, education, income, and number of children were unrelated to life satisfaction. I conclude that future research should examine in more detail how and why these variables impact on levels of life satisfaction.