Inequality In Subjective Well-being Research Articles

Subjective Wellbeing Population Norms and Inequalities in Hungary: A Large Cross-Sectional, Internet-Based Survey

ObjectivesThis study aimed to provide subjective wellbeing (SWB) population norms in Hungary and explore the contribution of explanatory factors of SWB inequality among the Hungarian adult general population. MethodsThe data originated from a large representative internet-based cross-sectional survey in Hungary, which was conducted in 2020. We applied validated multi-item instruments for measuring SWB, namely Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Multiple linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between demographic-socioeconomic-health status and both wellbeing instruments. The concentration index (CI) was used to measure the degree of income-related inequality in wellbeing. ResultsA total of 2001 respondents were enrolled with the means ± SD WHO-5 scores and SWLS scores of 0.51 ± 0.21 and 0.51 ± 0.23, respectively. Higher household income, higher educational level, better general health status, and absence of chronic morbidity were significant positive predictors for both WHO-5 and SWLS scores. The CI of WHO-5 scores was lower than that of SWLS scores in the total sample (0.0480 vs 0.0861) and in subgroups by gender (male, 0.0584 vs 0.1035; female, 0.0302 vs 0.0726). The positive CI values implied a slight pro-rich SWB inequality in this population. The regression analyses showed a positive association of SWB with having a higher household income and a better general health status. ConclusionsThis is the first representative study in Hungary to compare population norm of 2 wellbeing instruments and analyze wellbeing inequality. Slight pro-rich inequality was found consistently with both SWB measures. Our findings support the need for health and social policies that effectively tackle inequalities in Hungary.

Ethnic inequality between Arabs and Jews in Israel in global life satisfaction: A social determinants examination among young adults.

Global life satisfaction (GLS), a core construct of subjective well-being, plays a vital role in positive development among young adults. Persistent inequality in subjective well-being across minority versus majority groups is a growing public health concern. However, research evidence on the minority-majority disparity in GLS among representative samples of young adults is scarce. Based on national data from Israel (N = 2,405), this study examines (a) the association of multiple forms of economic (not in education, employment, or training status, subjective socioeconomic status indicators), social-relational (trust, discrimination, loneliness), and environmental determinants (neighborhood conditions) with GLS among young adults from a minority-majority (Israeli Arabs-Israeli Jews) perspective; (b) whether minority-majority disparity in GLS can be explained by differential health returns for the determinants considered across participants from the two groups; (c) whether minority-majority disparities in GLS persist when controlling for these determinants, suggesting the effect of ethnicity per se. Significant disparities in GLS by ethnicity were found, with young Arab adults far less likely to be satisfied or very satisfied with their lives. Hierarchical logistic regression indicated that economic, social-relational, and environmental determinants shape GLS, but these factors do not eliminate the adverse effect of minority status on GLS. While social-relational and environmental factors uniformly affect GLS across minority and majority participants, economic factors were less influential among the Arab minority, suggesting lower health returns for economic resources among young Arab adults. Implications for policies aimed at promoting health equity and social justice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Do public healthcare programs make societies more equal? Cross-country evidence on subjective wellbeing

BackgroundUniversal health coverage (UHC) aims to provide quality healthcare services and safeguard the population from the financial burden of catastrophic health expenditure. Its primary objectives are to improve longevity and enhance overall quality of life. This study investigates the relationship between UHC and the inequality in subjective wellbeing (SWB) and explores whether public health programs can reduce social inequality. By employing SWB inequality as a measure, we go beyond the conventional income-centric approach to assess social inequality.MethodsThe SWB data used in this study are derived from the repeated cross-sectional survey obtained from the European Values Study (EVS) and the World Values Survey (WVS). We adopt an observational study design and employ statistical techniques, such as ordinary least squares, Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition, and the recentered influence function (RIF). The RIF, in particular, allows us to characterise the entire distribution of SWB, rather than focusing on a single point.ResultsUHC programs are negatively associated with SWB inequality (-0.070, significant at 5%). The negative association is observed at the 5th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the SWB distribution, whilst the association becomes positive at the 95th percentile. UHC programs do not contribute to the SWB inequality gap.ConclusionsUHC programs exhibit an inequality-reduction property when the inequality is not severe or when countries are more equal. However, their effectiveness diminishes in the presence of extreme inequality. Health programs do not contribute to the existing SWB inequality gap between developed and developing countries. Strengthening the two dimensions of the UHC program (i.e., service coverage and financial protection) will ensure better health and wellbeing for all, and potentially foster a more equal and inclusive society.

Does Adoption of Information and Communication Technology Reduce Objective and Subjective Well-Being Inequality? Evidence from China

Does Adoption of Information and Communication Technology Reduce Objective and Subjective Well-Being Inequality? Evidence from China

Food insecurity predicts well-being inequality

The concept of well-being offers researchers an alternative to understanding inequality and poverty primarily through income and consumption, and recent research has emphasized the importance of examining well-being inequality. Food insecurity has been identified as an important driver of average levels of well-being; in this paper, we show it also predicts changes in the distribution of well-being. We use individual-level data from the Gallup World Poll for 135 countries between 2014 and 2017 (N = 446,741) and apply a flexible moments-based approach. We use the estimated conditional variance as a measure of inter-personal inequality in subjective well-being at the individual-level. Findings indicate that higher food insecurity is associated with higher inequality in well-being in middle- and high-income countries, but not in low-income countries. We also find that being severely food insecure correlates with peoples' well-being inequality in every income group. Understanding disparities in peoples' lives offers important, policy-relevant information that cannot be inferred from mean values alone and offers important insights to achieve SDG Goals 2 and 3 for all people.

Is inequality in subjective well-being meritocratic? Danish evidence from linked survey and administrative data.

This paper decomposes inequality in subjective well-being into inequality due to socioeconomic background (SEB) and meritocratic inequality due to differences in individual merits such as school performance. We measure the meritocratic share of well-being, defined as the share of explained variation in life satisfaction attributable to variation in merits not related to SEB. The empirical evidence from Denmark combines survey information on well-being with administrative data on individual characteristics. We find systematic differences in well-being already in early adulthood, where differences in economic outcomes are not yet visible. At age 18–19, about 40 percent of the inequality in well-being is meritocratic. The role of merits rises to 65–85 percent in midlife (age 40–55), where it is also higher than the role of merits in income inequality. The positive conclusions that inequality in well-being is more meritocratic than income inequality and more meritocratic as people grow older get support by corresponding results using an equal opportunity approach.

Is Inequality in Subjective Well-Being Meritocratic?Danish Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data

Is Inequality in Subjective Well-Being Meritocratic?Danish Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data

Is Inequality in Subjective Well-Being Meritocratic?Danish Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data

Is Inequality in Subjective Well-Being Meritocratic?Danish Evidence from Linked Survey and Administrative Data

The increasing educational divide in the life course development of subjective wellbeing across cohorts

Labour market, health, and wellbeing research provide evidence of increasing educational inequality as individuals age, representing a pattern consistent with the mechanism of cumulative (dis)advantage. However, individual life courses are embedded in cohort contexts that might alter life course differentiation processes. Thus, this study analyses cohort variations in education-specific life course patterns of subjective wellbeing (i.e. life, health and income satisfaction). Drawing upon prior work and theoretical considerations from life course theories, this study expects to find increasing educational life course inequality in younger cohorts. The empirical analysis relies on German Socio-Economic Panel data (1984–2016, v33). The results obtained from cohort-averaged random effects growth curve models confirm the cumulative (dis)advantage mechanism for educational life course inequality in subjective wellbeing. Furthermore, the results reveal substantial cohort variation in life course inequality patterns: regarding life and income satisfaction, the results indicate that the cumulative (dis)advantage mechanism does not apply to the youngest cohorts (individuals born between 1970 and 1985) under study. In contrast, the health satisfaction results suggest that educational life course inequality follows the predictions of the cumulative (dis)advantage mechanism only for individuals born after 1959. While the life course trajectories of highly educated individuals change only slightly across cohorts, the subjective wellbeing trajectories of low-educated individuals start to decline at earlier life course stages in younger cohorts, leading to increasing life course inequality over time. Thus, the overall findings of this study contribute to our understanding of whether predictions derived from sociological middle range theories are universal across societal contexts.

Happy but Unequal: Differences in Subjective Well-Being across Individuals and Space in Colombia

Despite being on average a relatively happy country, Colombia has a high level of inequality in subjective well-being (SWB). Using Gallup World Poll data for the period from 2010 to 2018, this paper tests the direction and strength of association of a range of objective and subjective factors with SWB and explains differences in SWB across individuals and space. The perceived welfare of the average Colombian is mainly influenced by conditions and expectations related to economic opportunities and education. However, quantile regressions, reveal substantial differences in the domains that matter to those at the bottom and top of the experienced welfare distribution. Standard-of-living improvements, housing affordability, and civic engagement matter more to the most fortunate top 20%, while having education, a job, sufficient income, economic security, and digital connectivity are much more strongly associated with the well-being of the bottom 20%. The life domains that matter more to the unhappiest respondents also explain the majority of the spatial differences in perceived welfare between residents in urban and rural areas as well as core and peripheral regions. Policy actions aimed at closing the gaps in these areas have the potential to increase well-being and reduce inequality in Colombia.

Past and Present Subjective Well-being: the Role of Contrast and Memory

This study is an attempt to analyse the interrelationships between current, past and expected future subjective well-being (SWB) through the intermediating role of memory using the National Income Dynamics Study panel dataset for South Africa. The contribution of this study is in exploring the role of contrast (intertemporal and social) in determining (a) the current levels of SWB and (b) the drivers of recall bias, within a causal framework in the context of a country with low average SWB and high SWB inequality. The results indicate significant presence of hedonic adaptation and reveals past and future contrast as important correlates of current subjective well-being. In addition, a perceived improvement in current happiness from the past is associated with higher levels of current SWB, highlighting the intermediating role of memory. Memory, however, is observed to be biased with only 42% accuracy. Higher levels of current subjective well-being are found to enhance the probability of correct recall of the past. An overall improvement bias is evident among those in the lower segment of the SWB distribution. The results reinforce the hypothesised simultaneous relationships between current SWB, intertemporal contrast and recall behaviour. Furthermore, the differences in our findings from European studies emphasize the relevance of context in driving these relationships.

Subjective Wellbeing Inequality Between Cohabiting Partners: Does a Household Kuznets Curve Exist?

This study unpacks the question of subjective wellbeing (SWB) inequality between partners in South Africa in the context of declining overall SWB inequality. The analysis, using the National Income Dynamics Study panel for the period 2012–2016, reveals through the decomposition of Theil inequality indices that the reduction in overall SWB inequality has been on the back of reducing inter-household inequality, while intra household inequality between partners has in fact increased in the period of study. The zero-inflated beta regression as well as Oaxaca Blinder decomposition provides evidence of the existence of an intra-household SWB Kuznets curve. The relationship between SWB inequality and household income that emerges from this analysis shows that the reliance on improving household level variables like household income and access to public amenities is not sufficient in reducing intra-household SWB inequality. Further, education based positive assortative mating is found to reduce SWB inequality between partners lending credence to the argument that power dynamics plays an important role in determining the SWB distribution within the household. The findings of the study points to the need to focus on intra-household power dynamics to reduce the SWB gap between partners.

Social Exclusion and Subjective Well-being Among Older Adults in Europe: Findings From the European Social Survey.

ObjectivesThe current study aims to examine how social exclusion is related to subjective well-being in older adults across different European regions.MethodsEuropean population-based cross-sectional study design was employed using data sampled from the eighth round of the European Social Survey (ESS). Multiple items for social exclusion were used in this round, including household income, civic participation, frequent meetings with friends and relatives, basic health services, and neighborhood cohesion. Life satisfaction, happiness, and self-rated general health were also assessed. An ANOVA was performed to examine the regional differences related to social exclusion and subjective well-being, while a regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the social exclusion and subjective well-being.ResultsThere were significant regional differences in the social exclusion and subjective well-being of older Europeans. In addition, older adults in the Nordic nations are more likely to indicate higher levels of subjective well-being and lower levels of social exclusion, while older adults from Central and Eastern European nations tend to report lower levels of subjective well-being and higher levels of social exclusion. Material resources and basic services are highlighted as the most important domains pertaining to life satisfaction, happiness, and general health.DiscussionThe study findings reinforce the inequality in subjective well-being linked to social exclusion across different societies. Both global and country-specific exclusion models in later life should be implemented in order to enhance comparable research and provide insight into EU and national guidelines for interventions to diminish social exclusion.

Subjective wellbeing inequality in South Africa 2008–14: An unconditional quantile decomposition analysis

ABSTRACT This study analyses the sources of reduction in subjective wellbeing (SWB) inequality in South Africa over the period 2008–14. The unconditional quantile regression decomposition of mean gap finds differences in the effect of covariates along the SWB distribution, underlining the relevance of going beyond mean-based decomposition. Fall in SWB inequality is due to the increased level of SWB on the left-hand side of the distribution and a reduced level in the upper end of the distribution. Greater access to public amenities such as electricity and flushing toilets among those on the lower SWB distribution and lower returns to relative income and good health among those on the upper SWB spectrum can be said to be the major reasons for decline in SWB inequality. While the trend in returns to race has contributed to lower SWB inequality, employment stands out starkly as increasing inequality through both endowment and coefficient effect.

Endogenous Selection Bias and Cumulative Inequality over the Life Course: Evidence from Educational Inequality in Subjective Well-Being

Abstract According to theories of cumulative (dis-)advantage, inequality increases over the life course. Labour market research has seized this argument to explain the increasing economic inequality as people age. However, evidence for cumulative (dis-)advantage in subjective well-being remains ambiguous, and a prominent study from the United States has reported contradictory results. Here, we reconcile research on inequality in subjective well-being with theories of cumulative (dis-)advantage. We argue that the age-specific endogenous selection of the (survey) population results in decreasing inequalities in subjective well-being means whereas individual-level changes show a pattern of cumulative (dis-)advantage. Using repeated cross-sectional data from the European Social Survey (N = 15,252) and employing hierarchical age-period-cohort models, we replicate the finding of decreasing inequality from the United States with the same research design for Germany. Using panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (persons = 47,683, person-years = 360,306) and employing growth curve models, we show that this pattern of decreasing inequality in subjective well-being means is accompanied by increasing inequality in intra-individual subjective well-being changes. This pattern arises because disadvantaged groups, such as the low educated and individuals with low subjective well-being show lower probabilities of continuing to participate in a survey and because both determinants reinforce each other. In addition to allowing individual changes and attrition processes to be examined, the employed multi-cohort panel data have further key advantages for examining inequality in subjective well-being over the life course: They require weaker assumptions to control for period and cohort effects and make it possible to control for interviewer effects that may influence the results.

Gender(un)gleichheit im Lebensverlauf

This article considers gender inequality through the prism of reported life satisfaction over the whole life cycle. Life satisfaction, an individuals’ global evaluation of their life, is a wellunderstood, oftinvestigated concept that can be considered an output measure. The authors are thereby answering four basic questions: (1) Is subjective wellbeing (SWB) for men and women significantly different? (2) Do we see gender difference movements over time? (3) Are there regional variances? (4) Are there different patterns by age? Overall, using thirty years of representative German data, the authors find little evidence of gender inequality in SWB. But there are surprising disparities in certain age classes. This simple, unconditional, age neutralised analysis offers a different perspective to the more typical econometric analyses and has wider applications, for example considering other issues of inequality and intergroup comparisons.

Distributional Dynamics of Life Satisfaction in Europe

The promotion of subjective well-being is becoming a central goal of social and public policy. In this regard, it is sometimes argued that subjective well-being inequality is an informative indicator of social tensions. In this paper, we investigate the evolution of the life satisfaction distribution in Europe since 1973 using data from the Eurobarometer surveys. In order to respect the ordinal nature of subjective well-being and to avoid the need to impose an arbitrary scale, we use the Abul Naga and Yalcin index. We demonstrate that this index can be characterised as a measure of both inequality and polarisation, depending on the value of the parameters. We find that, at the European level, life satisfaction inequality was significantly higher in 2014 than in 1995. This result is mainly explained by the increase in inequality in the Mediterranean countries and Ireland in recent years, but especially since the Great Recession. Although polarisation and inequality present a similar trend at the European level, some differing patterns are observed for particular countries, thus suggesting that these two phenomena are not only conceptually different, but also complementary in the analysis of the distribution of subjective well-being.

Happiness, income and poverty

There is considerable evidence from a variety of sources to suggest that well-being is a function of relative income. These findings have been used to explain the Easterlin Paradox, whereby a rise in income for all does not lead to a rise in average happiness in a country (even though the cross section relationship between income and happiness is positive). This relativity of utility has led to calls for policy to focus away from GDP. I here first discuss some of the evidence that well-being is indeed relative in income, but then consider two relatively little-analysed issues to suggest that there may continue to be a role for GDP per capita in happiness-based policy: the inequality of subjective well-being, and the specific case of those in income poverty.

Return to (Un)Happiness? Subjective Response of Romanians to the Menaces of Economic Crisis and Bad Governance between 2009 and 2012

Very soon after the fall of the communism, Romania was confronted with an economic crisis that went on for almost ten years. With the objective of entering NATO and EU accomplished, and GDP rising to unprecedented levels, subjective well-being levels of Romanians returned to those from 1990. However, the critics looked with skepticism to this recovery, observing that the unfinished or wrongly directed reforms, together with undesirable outcomes that the capitalism brought such as increase in social inequality and 'anomie', conduced to a fragile economic and social system. Their apprehensions seem to be confirmed when Romania fully resented the new global economic crisis which started in 2008. In this paper I will analyze the response of Romanians to the menaces of economic crisis and bad governance between 2009 and 2012. Using subjective indicators such as life satisfaction, I will examine variations in the structure and the inequality of subjective well-being, trying to explain how changes in the social situation of the socially excluded groups provoked a response from their part. I will show that the happiness of the Romanians decreased along these years. Partly, this had as effect the large scale protests which started at the end of 2011, which culminated with the demise of the neo-liberal Government. I conclude that potential for upheaval was not consumed entirely by this political change, and strong political dissatisfaction predicts future mass movements.

Subjective-Well-Being Inequality and Per Capita Income: Evidence from the World Values

The field of “Happiness Research” has grown markedly. A central question is whether economic growth increases mean Subjective Well Being (SWB), one measure of which is happiness.Cross-sectional analysis clearly indicates that there is a positive relationship between income and SWB. However, in time series this relationship may vanish (the Easterlin Paradox). In this paper, we examine the relationship between economic growth and SWB inequality using data from the World Values Survey and World Development Indicators. The results indicate that economic growth is inversely related to SWB inequality in cross-sectional analysis. There is also evidence that for most countries – 23 out of 26 in the dataset – greater economic growth is associated with a greater decrease in SWB inequality.