Determinants Of Subjective Well-being Research Articles

Happiness, positive emotions, and subjective well-being in dementia.

Research on non-cognitive features of dementia traditionally focusses on neuropsychiatric symptoms and challenging behavior and thus on negative aspects of the disease. Despite the clinical observation that many patients frequently report subjective well-being and often express positive emotions there is only little research on the definition, measurement and determinants of subjective well-being and happiness in people living with dementia. Furthermore, the few studies there are, examined happiness using retrospective questionnaires and the accounts of relatives or caregivers. However, in dementia, the experiencing self becomes more significant since past and future thinking are fading into the background. Here, we review the relative scarce literature in this field, discuss different psychological constructs and their applicability for dementia research, and suggest methods for measuring the addressed constructs in people with dementia. In particular, we propose methodology to study happiness and positive emotions in the experienced moment of the participants using ecological momentary assessments (EMA). We believe that adequate measures of momentary subjective well-being might become an important outcome parameter in clinical dementia trials beyond the currently used quality of life measures.

Perceived social fairness and trust in government serially mediate the effect of governance quality on subjective well-being

Governance quality refers to how well the processes and institutions of public governance function and is widely recognized as having an important influence on human well-being. We developed and tested a theoretical model that elucidates the relationship between governance quality and the subjective well-being of residents in China by revealing the serial mediation effects of perceived social fairness and trust in government. Using data from the nationally representative Chinese Social Survey conducted in 2021 (n = 5019), we performed structural equation modeling to empirically examine our hypotheses. The results indicated that governance quality exerted a significant positive fully indirect impact on subjective well-being through perceived social fairness, trust in government, and their serial mediation effects. This study contributes to the literature by providing valuable insights into the determinants of subjective well-being and highlighting the serial mediating roles of perceived social fairness and trust in government in the relationship between governance quality and subjective well-being. The findings also provide practical insights for policymakers, as they indicate that promoting perceived social fairness and fostering trust in government are essential to translate governance quality into subjective well-being.

Perceived Social Exclusion Partially Accounts for Social Status Effects on Subjective Well-Being: A Comparative Study of Japan, Germany, and the United States

People who are socioeconomically better off tend to report higher levels of well-being, with inconsistent roles ascribed to objective socioeconomic status (SES), subjective SES (SSES), and personal relative deprivation (PRD)—depending on the predictors, facets of well-being, and countries under study. We tested a comprehensive model of social status indicators as determinants of subjective well-being by a) including PRD, SSES, income, and education as predictors, b) assessing subjective well-being as well as interdependent happiness (happiness in relation to significant others), c) testing the model in Japan, Germany, and the US—countries with comparable societal structure (e.g., educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) but diverging cultural dimensions, and d) testing an explanatory variable: feeling excluded from society. Cross-culturally (N = 2,155), PRD and SSES independently and strongly predicted well-being, while income and education exhibited negligible direct effects. SSES emerged as the predominant predictor in Japan compared to the US and Germany, whereas PRD was the predominant predictor in the US compared to Germany and, to a lesser extent, Japan. This was largely accounted for by culture-specific links of social status with perceived social exclusion—the extent to which people feel unable to keep up with society as a whole. Perceived social exclusion was more strongly linked to SSES in Japan compared to Germany and the US, and more strongly linked to PRD in the US than in Germany. The role of perceived social exclusion as an explanatory variable in the relationship between social status and subjective well-being merits further investigation within and between countries.

Settlement location and school size as determinants of subjective well-being and behavioral attitudes among adolescents

BACKGROUND: Empirical data on the effect of infrastructural and geographical factors on the subjective well-being of residents of small urban and rural communities are scarce.
 AIM: To identify indicators of subjective well-being among adolescents, as well as their behavioral attitudes and subjective assessments of the school environment.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed data collected from 1164 respondents residing in 25 rural and urban settlements across Siberia and the European part of Northern Russia between 2016 and 2018. The Cronbachs alpha values for the dependent variables ranged from 0.654 to 0.811. The variables used to differentiate the comparison groups included the school size, the distance of the settlement from the regional centers infrastructure, and its geographic location in relation to the Arctic zone.
 RESULTS: Various characteristics of the school environment demonstrated the effect of differentiating variables. These characteristics included the friendliness within the school environment, the attitudes of teachers, the preparedness for self-defense, and the attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and illegal behavior. The attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and the readiness for self-defense were particularly sensitive to differentiating variables.
 CONCLUSION: The results of this study can be used to develop solutions that effectively manage the risks associated with the social and personal development of adolescents residing in small urban and rural settlements within sparsely populated regions of the Russian Federation.

Well-being costs of perceived job insecurity: Mediating role of financial satisfaction, subjective healthiness and institutional trust

The fear of losing the current job or not finding a new job significantly affects an individual’s well-being. However, perceived job insecurity also affects an individual’s financial satisfaction, subjective healthiness, and trust in institutions - determinants of subjective well-being. This research explores the direct and indirect effects of perceived job insecurity on the life satisfaction of the full-time employed and unemployed people within a serial mediation analysis framework. Using the World Values Survey (6th wave) dataset, we estimated the effects in aggregate and disaggregated (by the income level of countries) samples. Regarding unemployed people, results display the almost equal contribution of direct and indirect channels. In contrast, the dominance of indirect impact channels is more considerable in the case of individuals employed full-time. In disaggregated samples, no significant impact is detected in low-income and upper-middle-income class members, while the effects are significant and economically meaningful for lower-middle-income and high-income countries. Non-pecuniary costs exceed pecuniary costs. The primary mediating factor is satisfaction with a household’s financial situation, especially in high-income countries. The availability of unemployment insurance benefits can partially compensate well-being costs of perceived job insecurity. Nevertheless, governments need to enhance labour market efficiency to diminish both unemployed and full-time employed individuals’ perceived job insecurity, which would improve societal welfare in the end.

Determinants of subjective well-being among migrant and local elderly in China: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesThe study aimed to examine the association between individual and community levels in relation to subjective well-being (SWB) among the migrant and local elderly. It particularly focuses on the extent...

Locational decisions and subjective well-being: an empirical study of Chinese urban migrants

ABSTRACT Motivated by the popularity of ‘Run away from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou’ saying in China this paper tests the determinants of subjective well-being (SWB) of long-term migrants and the extent to which migrants make optimal locational decisions in terms of SWB. China’s cities are divided into 4 core first-tier cities, 15 new first-tier cities, and non-first-tier cities (94 in the sample) reflecting different levels of economic opportunity and amenities. Migrants can only be observed in their present location. Hence, we use a semi-parametric marginal treatment effect method to compare actual and counterfactual SWB outcomes. Results shows that migrants’ SWB is greater in non-first-tier cities than first-tier cities; the determinants of SWB differ for male and female migrants; and, female migrants with urban hukou are typically better off in the four core first-tier cities as well as other first-tier cities. Overall, there is thus a marked gender differences in migrants’ optimal locational choice. From a productivity and social cohesion perspective, these results make it imperative that public policy in China addresses the gender and spatial sorting imbalances that arises from differences in SWB determinants and optimal location as ever more educated young people join the labour force.

Heterogeneity in the subjective well-being impact of access to urban green space

There is a growing body of literature on the impact of urban green space (UGS) on residents’ subjective well-being (SWB). However, few studies analyze how SWB impacts of UGS may depend on the quality aspects of UGS, and even fewer studies analyze how impacts may vary across the different levels of SWB. Drawing on individual data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey over 2001-17 for Melbourne, this paper estimates a set of hedonic models of SWB to explain the heterogeneity in SWB impacts of UGS. The results show that the size of UGS matters and that UGS impact on SWB varies considerably across different well-being levels. Specifically, individuals with low levels of SWB, overall, demonstrate much less responsiveness to proximity to UGS than individuals with high levels of SWB. Unless combined with other determinants of SWB, we argue that conventional interpretations of urban planning ideals may exacerbate, rather than mitigate, social well-being inequality. Moreover, the design of UGS, such as green corridors, can help to emulate well-being enhancing dimensions of UGS in already built-up areas.

Determinants of Subjective Well-being: Do we Really Know What Makes People Happy? A Study on Rasht Metropolis, North of Iran

Background: Background: Recently, along with traditional economic indicators, policymakers are increasingly dealing with Subjective Well-Being (SWB) as an evaluation criterion of their performance and as an index for the population’s psychology health. This was done to define different determinants of SWB with a focus on some specific aspects of the living area. Also, this article investigateed the effect of urban and outskirts area on SWB. Method: This study is a cross-sectional study based on a structured interview and the samples (219 people ) were selected by a two-stage cluster sampling method in 2018 in Rasht city, a metropolis in Iran. In designing the local questionnaire, Gallup’s Global Emotions questionnaire has been used. Two main contributions of this study are defining culturized and proper indices for measuring SWB, and the financial status of people while Iranian people used to understate their real income. Data analysis was conducted using STATA 14.2 applying Descriptive statistics, Correlation study, Ordered Probit regression Method. Results: Results show that improving the socio-economic status of people improve SWB. Having financial satisfaction, satisfaction with leaving area, being tenure, and living in more spacious residency have positive effects on SWB. Also, the city dwellers were found to have higher SWB (5.23 out of 7) than outskirt dwellers (4.9 out of 7) while keeping the other factors to be constant. They reported the same differences in positive feelings and negative feelings indices. Conclusion: The welfare policies should be revised to improve the financial status of all people, and increase the access to urban facilities for outskirts’ dwellers.Determinants of Subjective Well-being: Do we Really Know What Makes People Happy? A Study on Rasht Metropolis, North of Iran

Evolution of the Subject Area of Happiness and Subjective Well-Being Research in World and Russian Science

The article provides an analytical overview of the peculiarities of the international and Russian tradition of studying overlapping structures describing happiness, subjective well-being, quality of life and satisfaction. The semantic content of such constructions and the peculiarities of their use in empirical research are studied. The most common and studied determinants of subjective well-being are described. Existing Russian and international databases that can serve as sources of well-being analysis in the time and cross-country space are considered. A semantic analysis of the concept of "happiness" as the closest and most commonly used synonym for the term "subjective well-being" is conducted. The discussion questions of the relationship of theoretical constructs describing the concept of subjective well-being are discussed in detail. A characterisation of the extent to which the existing needs of an individual are met has been proposed as a basis for developing similar structures, where it is important to take into account the individual specificity and level character of the needs themselves. It has been shown that the concept of subjective well-being is adequately described by the parameter of need satisfaction, the indicator of which is positive emotions. A model of subjective well-being is considered, which takes into account the difference between the hedonistic component characterized by a measure of satisfaction with universal basic needs determined by material and other resources, and the eudemonistic component characterising success in achieving individual meaningful life goals. The article provides an analysis of the fact that a person's well-being is determined both through an assessment or self-assessment of his or her social status and situation, his or her ideas about the possibility and feasibility of achieving the desired goal. On this basis, a two-level model of subjective well-being is proposed, distinguishing between an affective component, such as an assessment of an individual's emotional balance at the time of measurement and a cognitive component, which characterises the assessment of quality of life in general, the degree of subjectivity and reasonableness in achieving a person's life goals.

Urgensi Pelatihan Syukur (Gratitude Traning) untuk Meningkatkan Subjective Well-Being “Ibu Muda” dalam Konteks Keluarga

Building a family life is basically aimed to successfully achieving life satisfaction and happiness, which we use the term subjective well-being. Empirical data shows that family life is a dynamic process of adaptation, therefore events such as problems, stress, pressure and crisis are not determinants of subjective well-being, but rather how to improve the ability of individuals to make the intended coping. Gratitude is a form of coping response which is a predictor of subjective well-being. Gratitude can be activated and trained continuously through the process of learning and training throughout life, thus forming the power of transcendence. The research findings show that: gratitude can be done by implementing cognitive emotional regulation strategies, namely (a) refocus on planning, (b) putting into perspective, (c) positive appraisal. In addition, the activation of gratitude can be done through mindfulness by using the strategy 3 A, namely (a) Attention (b) Awareness (c) Acceptance, and activating gratitude with the counting of blessing method. Recommendations for future research: it is necessary to develop a gratitude training model that is proven effective in increasing the subjective well-being of young mothers (20-40 years).

"Are Filipinos Aging Well?": Determinants of Subjective Well-Being among Senior Citizens of the Community-Based ENGAGE Study.

As people age, they are expected to experience adverse life conditions and major life events. These circumstances might have a significant impact on their subjective well-being. This study investigated the factors associated with subjective well-being among community-dwelling Filipino senior citizens. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 1021 senior citizens (68.5% women) aged 60 and above and identified the factors independently associated with their subjective well-being using multiple linear regression analysis. We also used hierarchical regression analysis for model prediction. In the hierarchical regression analysis, psychological resilience was found as the most powerful predictor of subjective well-being. Loneliness, however, was the only psychosocial factor not associated with it. Both men and women with positive self-rated health and had higher psychological resilience and perceived social support showed a higher level of subjective well-being. Women who were separated and received pension and men who were uneducated showed a lower level of subjective well-being. Psychological resilience, positive self-rated health, and perceived social support might be protective factors for low subjective well-being. To improve the subjective well-being of Filipino senior citizens, we should build psychological resilience and social support networks in the community.

Valuing the impact on wellbeing of urban amenities in Beijing

ABSTRACT Survey data for a sample of respondents in Beijing are used to evaluate the determinants of subjective wellbeing. The data are rich and allow the impact on wellbeing of amenities associated with housing to be evaluated alongside the impact of household income, thus enabling us to attach a value to characteristics such as neighbourhood tranquility, air quality, and access to infrastructure. The evidence suggests that the value of such amenities is high, and this has clear implications for urban design.

The relationship between illness representations, alexithymia, coping strategies and subjective well-being among persons with asthma

Background In order to examine subjective well-being (SWB) among persons with asthma, most of the existing studies have focused on disease-related variables or concentrated on illness representations, alexithymia and coping, making it difficult to determine whether the relationship between illness representations, alexithymia, coping and SWB is just an artifact of the disease’s severity. Objective Based on the Self-Regulation Model, this study aimed to examine the interrelationships between the disease’s characteristics (annual mean of asthma attacks, preventive treatment), illness representations, alexithymia, coping strategies and SWB among persons with asthma. Methods A convenience sample of 208 persons with asthma completed measures of the disease’s characteristics (annual mean of asthma attacks, preventive treatment), illness representations (identity, causes, timeline, consequences, control, coherence, emotional representations), alexithymia, coping strategies, SWB, and socio-demographic questionnaires. A hierarchical multiple regression was calculated with SWB as the dependent variable. Results The regression model was found significant (F(14, 133) = 6.42, p < 0.001), explaining 34% of the variance in SWB. Higher levels of alexithymia, identity, cause and emotional representations and lower levels of control were related to lower levels of SWB. The addition of coping strategies did not add to the explained variance of SWB. Conclusion This study contributes to a better understanding of the determinants of SWB among persons with asthma. The findings indicate that clinical interventions targeting persons with asthma illness representations and alexithymia may assist persons with asthma to improve their SWB.

Determinants of Subjective Well-Being and Invariance Measurement: Evidence from German and Ghanaian Data

This paper aims to test the invariance measures of subjective well-being and some of its determinants using Ghanaian and German data from the WVS (World Value Survey). From the WVS wave-6 data, the following dimensions are selected: religion, social capital, social trust, fear feeling or worry, political activities, personalities, security, economic conditions, and subjective well-being. To test the different types of invariance (configural invariance and metric invariance), MGCFA (Multi-group Confirmatory Factor Analysis) was used. The first result of our modeling was that all dimensions significantly determine subjective well-being in the local model with the German data. In contrast to the Ghanaian data, only the dimensions of political activity and the fear feeling or worries turn out not to be significant in explaining subjective well-being. Second, the configural invariance test revealed that social capital, religion, social trust, fear feelings or worries, and economic conditions are non-equivalent between the two countries. Security, political activities, and subjective well-being satisfy the partial invariance measurement. Only personality traits are fully invariant across the two countries. As a result, a comparison of the determinants of well-being across the two countries is only possible for personality traits (full invariance measurement) and security (partial invariance measurement).

The Determinants of Subjective Well-Being in a Developing Country: The Ecuadorian Case

In this study, we identify some individual and contextual factors potentially affecting subjective well-being in developing countries and check their effect in the Ecuadorian case. Ecuador is an oil country where attempts have been made to overcome deep social and territorial inequalities by placing human well-being at the core of public policy through the National Plan for Good Living. By means of ordinary least squares and ordered logit with clustered standard errors, as well as multilevel ordered logit models, we find that oil-dependent territories negatively affect well-being. Moreover, women and indigenous people report lower well-being, while personal income, education, housing quality, institutional trust, health insurance and social relationships can improve it. From a policy perspective, we find that basic unmet needs still need to be fulfilled to increase well-being, and further improvements of the institutional framework, redistributive system and inclusion policies are required. In this respect, we observe that Good Living-based policy accurately addresses these elements and, therefore, has great potential for application in other countries with similar characteristics.

Adaptive Expectations and Subjective Well-being of Landfill Waste Pickers in South Africa’s Free State Province

Waste pickers are widely regarded as among the most marginalised groupings in the informal economy. Theoretically, this can have a negative impact on the evaluation of their well-being. The aim of the research was to investigate possible determinants of subjective well-being in South Africa’s informal economy, using a case study of waste pickers on landfill sites in the Free State province of South Africa. The data were sourced from structured interviews with 420 waste pickers on landfill sites in the three major municipalities in the Free State province in 2012. A mixed method research design was used in the research. The standard quantitative data analysis was supplemented with a qualitative analysis to provide deeper insight into the research question. The results are reported in context with the broader perspective of the labour market in South Africa. The results indicate the importance of location and size of the landfill in explaining the subjective well-being of the waste pickers. Further research is needed among other marginalised groups to gain a clearer understanding of the lives and livelihoods of those involved in the informal economy of South Africa. Society will then be better placed to value the contribution of informal waste pickers in the waste economy and policy makers will be better equipped to integrate them in the formal waste management strategies of municipalities.

Why Does Social Class Affect Subjective Well-Being? The Role of Status and Power.

The link between social class and subjective well-being (SWB) has been an important topic of inquiry, with broad implications for understanding the psychology of social class and the determinants of SWB. Prior research on this topic has focused primarily on the extent to which social class affects SWB and the factors that moderate that impact. We extend prior work by examining the concerns that account for why social class shapes SWB. In particular, we examine the role of status and power in mediating the impact of one's social class on one's SWB. Across five studies, we theorize and find that status mediates the impact of social class on SWB and, moreover, that status is a stronger mediator of this link than is power. Overall, these studies advance scholarly research on the psychology of social hierarchy by clarifying the interplay between social class, status, and power in relation to SWB.

Subjective well-being in China: direct and indirect effects of rural-to-urban migrant status

The purpose of this article is to provide a recent investigation on the determinants of subjective well-being among Chinese adults, with particular emphasis on internal migrants who hold a rural hukou and have settled in cities. Based on a sample of 7846 adults stemming from the 2011 wave of CHNS survey, we estimate different happiness functions using ordered probit regressions. We first confirm the influence of traditional demographic and socioeconomic characteristics (i.e. age, marital status, gender, illness/injury, income, and education). Second, our results emphasize the importance of taking into account regional differences, but also the positive impact of leisure time and social connections. Finally, our results highlight that being a rural-to-urban migrant is significantly associated with a decrease in the probability of reporting good or very good life satisfaction. We show that this relationship seems to be shaped by direct and indirect effects, and we identify the mediating role of regional patterns and social relations.

An Integrative Approach to Assess Subjective Well-Being. A Case Study on Romanian University Students

Subjective well-being (SWB) has presented long-lasting interest for researchers and the recent focus on the economic approach to SWB led to increased awareness of the topic. Despite the significant number of studies, conceptualizing and assessing SWB, along with finding predictors of SWB, need further empirical exploration. Following this rationale, using statistical and econometric methods (correlation analysis, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR)) applied on data collected via a survey on students from Bucharest University of Economic Studies (363 respondents), this study explores and provides insights that support a better understanding of defining and measuring SWB. Additionally, the study offers valuable information on the main determinants of SWB for a particular group, in this case, Romanian business students. According to findings, we argue that: (1) when assessing perception of life satisfaction and happiness, Romanian students tend to make slight distinctions between these two concepts; (2) question order effect is not significant, whereas negative sentiments (such as pessimism) impact self-assessment of happiness, but not of life satisfaction; (3) the main predictors for SWB are satisfaction with current activities, level of optimism/pessimism, health, and safety of the neighborhood. This paper proposes a new approach to modeling SWB by MLR, which features expressing the dependent variable with respect to the principal factors obtained by PCA.