Objective Indicators Of Well-being Research Articles

Differences in migrants’ reason for migration and subjective well-being: not so different after all

This article uses 2012–2021 UK survey data to explore differences in subjective well-being (i.e. happiness, anxiety, life satisfaction, and having a worthwhile life) between those born in the UK and foreign-born residents who migrated for different reasons to the country (i.e. employment, study, family reunion, and asylum). Previous literature looking at objective indicators such as employment rates and health suggests that migrants’ reasons for migration relate to major differences across groups in these types of well-being indicators. In contrast, our analysis suggests that differences in subjective well-being with the UK-born are relatively similar across those who migrated for different reasons to the country. Moreover, across reasons for migration, there is a clear pattern of convergence to the subjective well-being levels of the UK-born as length of residence in the UK increases. This differs from studies looking at objective well-being indicators, in which some groups (e.g. those who migrated for family or asylum reasons) take longer to converge to the levels of those born in the country.

Research on Spatial Differences and Driving Effects of Ecological Well-Being Performance in China.

The essential requirement of sustainable development is to maximize economic prosperity and well-being while remaining within natural boundaries. This study focused on three aspects. First, a unique ecological well-being performance (EWP) evaluation model was developed by combining subjective and objective well-being indicators to assess China’s EWP from 2006 to 2018. Second, the evolution of spatial differences in China’s EWP was examined using the Dagum Gini coefficient and four spatial polarization indicators, from the perspective of eight economic regions. Third, we used the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method to decompose the driving factors of China’s EWP into four effects: economic, technical, objective well-being, and subjective well-being. Effective ways to promote the coordinated and sustainable enhancement of EWP in China were determined. The results showed that the overall level of EWP in China decreased from 2006 to 2018. The growth rate of China’s residents’ happiness index was not only slightly slower than the growth rate of the human development index but also significantly slower than the ecological footprint index per capita. The spatial differences of EWP in China were found to be expanding. Inter-regional differences were found to be the primary source of spatial differences in China’s EWP. Meanwhile, the capacity for sustainable development among provinces was further stretched, and, thus, the spatial polarization of China’s EWP tended to deepen. The importance of economic growth in boosting EWP cannot be overstated. China must actively encourage scientific and technological innovation, transition to a green development model, and raise human well-being in tandem with economic development. This study contributes to a scientific foundation and is a valuable reference for long-term and coordinated regional development in China and other emerging countries.

Measuring quality of life: a system of indicators

In this day and age, improving quality of life (QOL) remains a necessary prerequisite for social progress and the central goal of state policy in many countries worldwide, regardless of their economic development. The aim of this work is to propose a system of indicators able to describe the QOL of the population to the fullest extent possible. The research methodology includes an analysis of modern approaches to explaining the QOL concept and describing its main measurement criteria, as well as a matrix comparison of the fundamental characteristics of well-being. These methods’ application and the subsequently obtained results allow developing the model for the QOL measurement. The system of indicators proposed within this model implies the consideration of both objective and subjective indicators distributed into two blocks for convenience: the Accepted Living Standard (material and environmental indicators) and the Quality of Life Opportunities (individual, cultural, and social indicators). The QOL level is determined by the balance or imbalance between the mean values of these blocks. In such a manner, the study advocates that the modern QOL measurement should consider both objective well-being indicators, collected from the reports of the analysed country’s national statistics service, and subjective indicators characterising the citizens’ perceptions of well-being at the individual level.

The share of satisfied individuals: A headcount measure of aggregate subjective well-being

This paper proposes the use of headcount-based indicators for the measurement of national Subjective Well-Being (SWB). I argue for the adoption of sufficientarianism as the guiding principle for aggregate measures of SWB, as opposed to the widely used average utilitarianism. I construct measures of the share of sufficiently satisfied individuals using reported life satisfaction data from the World/European Values Surveys across a range of sufficiency thresholds. A Beta-regression approach is employed to explore the empirical relationships between these measures and objective indicators of well-being. The use of this model is novel in this context. The findings reveal relationships between objective measures of development and SWB that are not apparent from analysis relying on conventional average measures of SWB. For example, I find no significant link between national income and the share of satisfied individuals when cultural controls are included (except when the sufficiency threshold is very high), which suggests that the SWB benefit of higher average incomes is limited from a sufficientarian point of view.

The Structure of Subjective Well-Being and Its Relation to Objective Well-Being Indicators: Evidence from EU-SILC for Serbia

In this article, we examine the structure of the subjective well-being and its relation to objective well-being indicators using the data from the European Union's Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) from Serbia. This is one of the first papers to analyze a new module on subjective well-being from EU-SILC micro-dataset (with over 20,000 respondents). We investigate the factor structure of the items and the differences in the association of subjective well-being dimensions with objective indicators of well-being within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Better Life Initiative framework. Three factors emerge from the principal components analysis: general life satisfaction, affective well-being, and satisfaction with the local environment. The analysis further reveals that life satisfaction is more related to the material living conditions, such as income, unemployment, and housing conditions, while affective well-being is more related to non-material indicators of well-being such as perceived health, personal security, and social connections. On the other hand, positive and negative affect within the affective well-being are not clearly separable, nor is the eudaimonic indicator from either life satisfaction or affective well-being.

Conceptual Referents, Personality Traits and Income-Happiness Relationship: An Empirical Investigation.

One of the ongoing debates in social indicator and subjective well-being research is concerned with the weak relationship between objective (such as income) and subjective indicators of well-being (such as life satisfaction). Empirical studies show that the relationship between subjective and the traditional objective well-being indicators is weak. This relationship is found to be very complex and far from clear. The present study tries to shed lights behind the complexity of the relationship between income and subjective well-being (SWB) by bringing into the analysis some alternative factors such as heterogeneity in the human perception and purpose of life (conceptual referent theory) and personality traits. Conceptual referent theory of happiness proposes that people differ in their conceptual referent for a happy life and this referent plays a significant role in their judgment about happiness and life satisfaction. Results of this cross-sectional survey based on 500 individuals residing in rural and urban areas indicate that the relationship between income and life satisfaction is not very strong. Furthermore, the relationship between income and life satisfaction is contingent on a person’s conceptual referent for happiness. This study suggests that income seems to have a significant influence on life satisfaction for some people (especially with outer oriented referents) and insignificant influence for other people (especially holding inner oriented referents). Additionally, neuroticism personality trait was able to further explain the relationship between income and life satisfaction. It was observed that the individuals with higher level of neuroticism tend to get a lower level of satisfaction from income rise as compared to individuals with lower level of neuroticism.

Validity and reliability of subjective wellbeing indicators in sociological research: The measurement of life satisfaction

The subject of this paper is the level of accuracy i.e. validity and reliability of subjective well-being indicators in sociological research, in case of life satisfaction. First, the relationship between subjective and objective indicators of well-being is presented. Second, the concept of life satisfaction is defined, and the findings of research related to the validity (convergent, discriminant, and predictive) and reliability (test-retest, and internal consistency) of life satisfaction measures are presented. Third, these findings were reassessed using data originating from large international surveys, which have not been used for this purpose yet. The results in this paper generally contribute to, in quite a large extent existing agreement within the scientific literature about the satisfactory level of validity and reliability of life satisfaction measures i.e. subjective indicators of well-being.

Subjective Well-Being Amongst a Sample of South African Children: A Descriptive Study

In the current socio-political framework in South Africa children have been afforded the highest priority within government, affirming their legal status of right holders. Not only has the rights and needs of children been entrenched in the development strategies of the government, but children themselves have been guaranteed socio-economic rights and protection from abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Subsequently, knowledge and information on the well-being of children have become important pursuits. More specifically, current trends in international literature point to the critical importance of subjective perceptions of well-being in developing measuring and monitoring initiatives. The aim of the study was to determine the subjective well-being of children in the Western Cape region of South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with the use of stratified random sampling to select a sample of 1004 twelve year old children attending primary schools within the Western Cape Metropole. Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings across the different domains of well-being. The study forms part of the International Survey of Children’s Well-Being (Phase 1: Deep Pilot) and follows a cross-sectional survey design. The survey included a number of internationally validated scales. This paper reports on some of the findings of the Student Life Satisfaction Scale, the Personal Well-Being Index-School Children, and the single-item scale on Overall Life Satisfaction. The findings show that the composite scores for the three scales show a general trend towards high levels of subjective well-being; however, these scores are incongruent to objective indicators of well-being which point to a range of adverse childhood realities. Another key finding was the significant difference in the composite mean scores on the Student Life Satisfaction Scale of children from low and middle-income communities. Finally a significant difference was found between mean composite scores on the Student Life Satisfaction Scale (65.60) and the Personal Well-Being Index- School Children (81.90). The findings raise important considerations for the conceptualisation and measurement of child well-being in South Africa.

The More, the Better: Life Satisfaction in the Bitter Welfare State

Abstract The subject of the welfare state is the object of a critical debate in the context of current global economic turmoil. An important issue surrounding this topic is whether people truly thrive in the welfare state or is they better off without it. Recently, there has been a growing interest in measuring the quality of life using subjective well-being indicators in order to complement the perspective offered by objective well-being indicators. These indicators are perceived as being an increasingly important component of human welfare, as they are not only an assessment of a person's life, but can also serve as a means to improve one's life. The objective of this research is to provide empirical evidence for the existence of a positive relationship between social expenditure and life satisfaction. Based on the happiness economics literature, the current paper distinguishes itself by examining the connection between life satisfaction, as a proxy for wellbeing, and social expenditure. The paper contributes by examining the link between well-being and social expenditure components to offer a more holistic view on the subject at hand. Given the structure of the data, a dynamic panel data model with “small T, large N”, we involve a GMM methodological framework. We use this approach mainly because estimators like random and fixed effects, or even standard GMM, may turn up biased results. We use a two-step expanded system estimator (System GMM) which features a set of supplementary restrictions applied to the already existing ones in the process generating the dependent variable. We use a dataset of 21 European countries covering a time span between 2004 and 2011.

Suicide among older people in relation to their subjective and objective well-being in different European regions.

The aim of this study was to establish how different types of welfare states shape the context of the everyday life of older people by influencing their subjective well-being, which in turn might manifest itself in suicide rates. Twenty-two European countries studied were divided into Continental, Nordic, Island, Southern, and post-socialist countries, which were subdivided into Baltic, Slavic, and Central-Eastern groups based on their socio-political and welfare organization. Suicide rates, subjective well-being data, and objective well-being data were used as parameters of different welfare states and obtained from the World Health Organization European Mortality Database, European Social Survey, and Eurostat Database. This study revealed that the suicide rates of older people were the highest in the Baltic countries, while in the Island group, the suicide rate was the lowest. The suicide rate ratios between the age groups 65+ and 0-64 were above 1 (from 1.2 to 2.5), except for the group of the Island countries with a suicide rate ratio of 0.8. Among subjective well-being indicators, relatively high levels of life satisfaction and happiness were revealed in Continental, Nordic, and Island countries. Objective well-being indicators like old age pension, expenditure on old age, and social protection benefits in GDP were the highest in the Continental countries. The expected inverse relationship between subjective well-being indicators and suicide rates among older people was found across the 22 countries. We conclude that welfare states shape the context and exert influence on subjective well-being, and thus may lead to variations in risk of suicide at the individual level.

Well-being as outcome for health monitoring in environmental epidemiology

Aims and background: Well- being is a relatively new outcome related to health and diseases. Self-reported subjectives outcomes in well-being monitoring and research are based on the traditions of “hedonia” and “eudaimonia”. Hedonic approaches assess life satisfaction and affects; eudaimonic approaches assess and meaning and purpose in life. The aim of this review is to give account of identified self-report instruments with used in individuals aged >15. Methods: Systematic review of instruments used in original studies published in PubMed 2007-2012, evaluation of properties of instruments. Results: Following an evaluation of 1,321 papers, we identified 70 instruments. Domains in the instruments were: life satisfaction, positive affects, negative affects, health, activities / vitality, spirituality, and cognition. Number of items varied between 1 and 84; none of the instrument fulfilled all criteria. Conclusions: Well-being as outcome in environmental epidemiology should be monitored with validated instruments; and link subjective and objective indicators of well-being.

Pursuit of pleasure, engagement, and meaning: Relationships to subjective and objective measures of well-being

Pleasure, engagement, and meaning are all unique predictors of individuals’ well-being. We explored the relationship between the pursuit of each of these pathways and well-being. Participants (N = 13,565) visited a website and completed a measure about their orientation toward pleasure, engagement, and meaning as a pathway to happiness as well as measures of subjective and objective well-being (OWB). All three pathways correlated with higher levels of subjective well-being (SWB). Pursuing engagement and meaning, however, were more strongly related to SWB than pursuing pleasure. Objective indicators of well-being, including measures of occupational and educational attainment, displayed a similar pattern, with engagement and meaning positively related, whereas pleasure was negatively related. Although these results are merely correlational, it suggests that engaging and meaningful activities may have stronger influences on well-being than pursuing pleasure.

Development Projects and Life Satisfaction: An Impact Study on Fair Trade Handicraft Producers

Is there a correspondence between subjective and objective wellbeing indicators in development programs? We investigate this question by evaluating the impact of Fair Trade affiliation on the subjective wellbeing of a sample of Peruvian (treatment and control) producers from two different Fair Trade projects in two socioeconomic environments, one relatively poorer (Juliaca) and the other relatively more affluent (Chulucanas). We find a direct and an indirect effect. The direct effect acts positively via affiliation years in the poorer project and via trade diversification in both projects. The indirect effect acts through the reduction of poverty and relative income. Consistently with the concave income-happiness assumption, the variables generating the indirect effect have a much weaker impact for producers living in the relatively better-off socioeconomic environment, net of the lower FT economic impact in this area.

Nutritional status and spousal empowerment among native Amazonians

Researchers and development organizations have shown interest in individual empowerment because it presumably improves well-being. Estimates of empowerment's effects on well-being contain biases from the potential endogeneity of empowerment. Using data from a sexually egalitarian and highly autarkic society of foragers and horticulturalists in the Bolivian Amazon, the Tsimane’, we overcome the problems that this poses by: (1) matching spouses’ responses to the same questions about who makes decisions or who breaks ties in 10 domains to improve accuracy in measures of empowerment; and (2) using parental attributes of spouses as instrumental variables for spousal empowerment. Outcomes include two anthropometric indices of short-run nutritional status: body-mass index and age and sex-standardized z scores of mid-arm muscle area. The amount of empowerment of household heads did not affect their nutritional status or other indicators of their well-being, such as income, wealth, expenditures, happiness, social capital, or self-perceived health. It also did not affect the nutritional status of their offspring. Nor did it affect the difference in income, wealth, or monetary expenditures between spouses. The insubstantial effects persisted with other definitions of empowerment or types of regressions. We end with a discussion of why empowerment, despite its popularity in development discourse, has such tenuous links with objective indicators of well-being, and the implication of this finding for future studies of empowerment's effects.

Ethnicity, Language, and Economic Well‐being in Rural Guatemala

Abstract We examine ethnic differences in objective and perceived economic well‐being in rural Guatemala. The evidence shows that long‐standing ethnic differentials in objective indicators of household economic well‐being actually widened between 1988 and 1995, a period characterized by rapid economic growth rates. We examine the effects of a major determinant of household economic well‐being in rural Guatemala, educational attainment, in accounting for ethnic and language differentials in household consumption. Our results show that returns to education appear to be substantially lower for indigenous households, especially indigenous households where the head of household does not speak Spanish. Ethnic differentials in perceived economic well‐being do not strictly parallel differences in objective indicators of well‐being. Indigenous women with any education are more likely to report relative economic deprivation than are non‐indigenous women, or ladinas, controlling for objective measures of household wealth.

Well-being in schools: a conceptual model

Health and well-being have mostly been separated from other aspects of school life. Health services and health education have been available for school-aged children in Western societies for a long time. Recently, more comprehensive school health programmes have been developed, e.g. the WHO 'health promoting school' and 'coordinated school health programme' in the USA. They focus on how to implement health promotion and health education in school. However, a theoretically grounded model based on the sociological concept of well-being is needed for planning and evaluation of school development programmes. The School Well-being Model is based on Allardt's sociological theory of welfare and assesses well-being as an entity in school setting. Well-being is connected with teaching and education, and with learning and achievements. Indicators of well-being are divided into four categories: school conditions (having), social relationships (loving), means for self-fulfilment (being) and health status. 'Means for self-fulfilment' encompasses possibilities for each pupil to study according to his/her own resources and capabilities. 'Health status' is seen through pupils' symptoms, diseases and illnesses. Each well-being category contains several aspects of pupils' life in school. The model takes into account the important impact of pupils' homes and the surrounding community. Compared with others, The School Well-being Model's main differences are the use of the well-being concept, the definition of health and the subcategory means for self-fulfilment. Making the outline of the well-being concept facilitates the development of theoretically grounded subjective and objective well-being indicators.

Predictors of Subjective Well-Being Among Older, Community-Dwelling Persons With Schizophrenia

This study tests a theoretical model of subjective well-being (SWB) for community-dwelling older persons with schizophrenia. The sample consisted of 117 persons age 55 and over (mean age = 63 years) who developed schizophrenia before age 45. With the use of bivariate analyses and then logistic regression, five variables attained significance as predictors of SWB: male gender, absence of loneliness, older age, reliable social contacts, and fewer perceived life difficulties. Although a comparison with their age-peers in the general population indicated that the sample was worse on several objective indicators of well-being, for example, income, clinical depression, physical limitations, and social network size, none of these variables was predictive of SWB. Rather, the data largely supported the "judgment" theory of SWB, which proposes that SWB is based on beliefs about oneself and others.

Collective preferences as predictors of interstate migration

The comparison of objective and subjective social indicators can be illuminated by comparing their relations to individual choice, of which migration is an important instance. We have replicated for U.S. states Lowry's (1966) regression model of migration among SMSA's, and added an indirect subjective measure of quality of life in each state. This measure is based on a Gallup survey asking respondents about their preferences among states of the United States as places to live. A measure of collective preference for each state, as viewed by outsiders, is constructed from these responses. This new variable increases R2 from 0.798 to 0.828, and is itself predicted with an R2 of only 0.355 by objective variables. Objective indicators of well-being had increased R2 only from 0.762 to 0.798. We conclude that collective preferences — the subjective measure we have used — play an independent part in predicting migration.