The connection of subjective well-being and material state indicators of the pensioners (original) (raw)

Money, Age and Happiness: Association of Subjective Wellbeing with Socio-Demographic Variables

The relationship between happiness and socio-demographic variables (age, sex, socioeconomic status, educational level) was examinated, this with a Latin American sample and its association with Subjective wellbeing given the controversial empirical evidence of their relationship. We surveyed a total of 520 people (300 women and 220 men) between the ages of 18 and 29 with an average of 21.26 years and a standard deviation of 2.47 to answer the subjective happiness scale. The happiness variable was categorized, and the subjects were reorganized in happy and non-happy groups. From the use of main component analysis and logistic regressions, the main results show that variables which best characterize the happiness levels are age and socioeconomic status. Specifically, the results indicate that higher age within the sample, predicts lower levels of happiness. On the other side, at a higher socioeconomic level, people are happier. In addition, there are no differences between genders.

The importance of wealth for subjective well-being

2012

It is widely assumed that since income is usually found to account for a relatively small proportion of the variance across individuals in self-reported well-being, money does not matter for personal happiness. This hypothesis is reexamined in this paper by including measures of household wealth alongside the more usual household income measure in regression equations of life satisfaction. Using data drawn from four large population surveys from four different countries, evidence is found indicating that wealth generally matters at least as much as income. It is thus concluded that economic circumstances explain more of the variation in individual well-being than previously thought. Nevertheless, the size of these wealth and income effects is still small.

Income, Age and Financial Satisfaction

The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 2003

Although the effects of income and age on subjective well-being have been widely studied, research on the effects of income and age on financial satisfaction, a major life domain to which income has direct relevance, remains limited. Analyzing data from the General Social Surveys, this article empirically examined the effects of income and age on financial satisfaction. These findings suggest that the social-psychological mechanisms underlying the age differences in the effects of income on financial satisfaction might not reflect a clear-cut status attainment versus status maintenance framework. The findings also served to caution future financial satisfaction research in the choice of income measures and the age grouping. 89

The influence of income on subjective well-being

Applied Economics: Systematic Research, 2013

The question of how we can experience more satisfaction and less pain is the one, which was raised from times of ancient philosophy-the background of all modern sciences. Dilemma between scarce resources and infinite human needs became the ground stone of economic science. Individual or society well-being maximisation, which was reached by minimising costs and increasing all types of Violeta PUKElIENÄ–, Justinas KISIElIAUSKAS the influence of income on subjective well-being The phenomena of materialism in science, led to the direct link of income to well-being. Despite dualism of well-being (subjective and objective), it was interpreted as mostly influenced by income, what led to uncontrolled worldwide economic growth explained by increase of welfare. The object of this article is the influence of income to happiness. The aim is to determine how economic factor of income influence subjective wellbeing (happiness) in the context of Europe. Following questions can reflect the problem of this article: Do inhabitants of wealthy countries have higher evaluation of happiness? Does higher income guarantee higher happiness? Does increase of income lead to the increase of happiness?

Financial Satisfaction in Old Age: A Satisfaction Paradox or a Result of Accumulated Wealth?

Social Indicators Research, 2008

Prior research consistently has found that older adults, despite low incomes, are more financially satisfied than younger adults. This "satisfaction paradox" is typically attributed to elders' supposed psychological accommodation to poor financial circumstances. We advance a different explanation, one that focuses on substantial age differences in wealth and liabilities. Data are from the first wave of the Norwegian NorLAG study (n=4169). Findings support the hypothesis that an examination of a wider range of economic variables shows that material circumstances are more important to the financial satisfaction of the elderly than previously believed. A considerable part of the higher financial satisfaction with increasing age can thus be explained by greater assets and less debt among the aged. Nonetheless, assets and debt do not mediate this relationship at lower incomes, because older people with little income have very little accumulated wealth. As older people with little income and wealth have a much stronger tendency to be financially satisfied than their younger, equally poor counterparts, an "aging paradox" still remains in this field.

Financial aspirations, financial success, and overall life satisfaction: who? and how?

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2007

demonstrated in a longitudinal study that the negative relation between aspirations for financial success and subjective well-being found by other researchers was mitigated by high household income. The present study first refined the analysis in and then explored two additional issues: (a) who aspires to financial success? and (b) how is financial success achieved? Analysis indicated that individuals with strong financial aspirations are socially inclined, confident, ambitious, politically conservative, traditional, conventional, and relatively less able academically, but not psychologically distressed. Financial success is achieved via the job and, for women only, via marriage. Financial aspirations influence job income both by influencing choice of occupation and by influencing job income within occupation; however, achieving financial success depends on having the personal resources to do so. Women with strong financial aspirations tend to marry for money (or money-making potential) regardless of their work status; men with strong financial aspirations do not.

Economic Well-Being as Predictor of Satisfaction with Life and Happiness

2008

The issue-to-be-considered reflects necessity of separate analysis of subjective and objective economic well-being, which occurred as a sequence of discovery and accumulation of gaps between objective economic situation and its' evaluations. Within the bound of this research, terms "subjective quality of life" and "subjective wellbeing" are used as synonymous notions; satisfaction with life and happiness are considered as principal indicators of subjective quality of life on the operational level. Methods used in the empirical research include 11-point scale for life satisfaction measure, "elation-depression" scale of A. E. Wessman & D. F. Ricks for happiness measure, interview, and economic attitudes measurement scales. The sample consists of 340 subjects, all Russian citizens; it is divided into four age groups: 17-20 years old, 21-24 y. o., 25 33 y. o., over 33 y. o. Such division takes into account peculiarities of political and economical socia...

Living in a material world: Happy Income and Happy Life Years

2000

In the following we will propose an indicator that focuses on physical as well as socio-psychic wellbeing. At its core, this indicator is a modification of Ruut Veenhoven’s concept of Happy Life Years and it is called Happy Income. This indicator is constructed on the intention that the socio-economic well-being of the people of a nation is based on their

Money Does not Buy Happiness: Or Does It? A Reassessment Based on the Combined Effects of Wealth, Income and Consumption

Social Indicators Research, 2008

The accepted view among psychologists and economists alike is that economic well-being has a statistically significant but only weak effect on happiness/subjective well-being (SWB). This view is based almost entirely on weak relationships between household income and SWB. But income is clearly an imperfect measure of economic well-being. Also needed are measures of wealth (net worth) and consumption. Wealth provides economic security as well as income, and consumption expenditure is the most valid measure of current living standards.

Money Doesn't Buy Happiness.... Or Does It? A Reconsideration Based on the Combined Effects of Wealth, Income and Consumption

2004

The accepted view among psychologists and economists alike is that economic well-being has a statistically significant but only weak effect on happiness/subjective well-being (SWB). This view is based almost entirely on weak relationships with household income. The paper uses household economic panel data from five countries -Australia, Britain, Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands -to provide a reconsideration of the impact of economic wellbeing on happiness. The main conclusion is that happiness is considerably more affected by economic circumstances than previously believed. In all five countries wealth affects life satisfaction more than income. In the countries for which consumption data are available (Britain and Hungary), non-durable consumption expenditures also prove at least as important to happiness as income. Further, results from panel regression fixed effects models indicate that changes in wealth, income and consumption all produce significant, though not large, changes in satisfaction levels.