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1.
Sibel Selim 《Social indicators research》2008,88(3):531-562
This research aims to investigate life satisfaction and happiness in Turkey. It extends the previous researches on subjective
well-being (SWB) for Turkey by considering both happiness and life satisfaction. The previous researches for Turkey are local
studies, and their findings cannot be generalized to the population of Turkish society. Given these facts, the factors that
shape individual happiness and life satisfaction amongst Turkish people are determined using a representative survey of sociocultural
and political change, World Values Survey (WVS). Some results obtained in this study are similar to typical findings such
as a negative age effect, positive influences of income and health status, and a negative effect of unemployment. Contrary
to the expectations, middle education has a negative direct effect on life satisfaction among females, and the upper education
level is insignificant in the life satisfaction model. By comparing the correlates of happiness and life satisfaction across
different years, this research aims to provide insights for policy makers and professionals to improve the perceived lives
of Turkish people.
相似文献
Sibel SelimEmail: |
2.
The study of subjective quality of life and its connotations in the People’s Republic of China is at a preliminary stage.
Although there is an emerging body of literature on this topic, there are few datasets representative of the general public,
particularly in Mainland China. This paper reports the findings of a public survey (N = 449) conducted in Zhuhai City, South China using the International Wellbeing Index (IWI). There were four main aims: (1)
to judge whether residents were satisfied with their lives; (2) to compare the data with recent findings from Hong Kong and
Macau; (3) to investigate the equivalence of the IWI in terms of its psychometric properties; and (4) to determine the applicability
of the ‘Theory of Homeostasis Wellbeing’. The data indicated a moderate level of personal (PWI score = 64.4.) and national
(NWI score = 57.4) wellbeing, consistent with recent findings from Hong Kong and Macau. The PWI score was within the normative
range for non-Western countries, which indicates that the residents were, on the whole, satisfied with their lives. Although
previously reported objective measures of quality of life in Zhuhai are lower than in Hong Kong and Macau, this is not reflected
in this study’s subjective measures. This finding was interpreted in terms of the ‘Theory of Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis’,
and the specific situation in Zhuhai, as there seems to be an absence of factors (i.e., no harsh economic or social situation)
which could drive subjective wellbeing below normal. Last, that the IWI demonstrated good psychometric performance in terms
of its reliability, validity, and sensitivity, and concurred with previous published reports, it seems that the scale’s robustness
generalises to Chinese samples. 相似文献
3.
Chong-Min Park 《Social indicators research》2009,92(2):263-294
The AsiaBarometer survey of 1,023 respondents shows Life in Korea is highly modernized and digitalized without being much
globalized. Despite the modernization and digitalization of their lifestyles, ordinary citizens still prioritize materialistic
values more than post-materialistic values, and they remain least satisfied in the material life sphere. A multivariate analysis
of the Korean survey reveals that their positive assessments of their standard of living and marriage are the most powerful
influences on the quality of life they experience. Remarkable improvements in the objective conditions of life for the past
three decades have failed to transform Korea into a nation of well-being.
相似文献
Chong-Min ParkEmail: |
4.
Life Goals Matter to Happiness: A Revision of Set-Point Theory 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Bruce Headey 《Social indicators research》2008,86(2):213-231
Using data from the long-running German Socio-Economic Panel Survey (SOEP), this paper provides evidence that life goals matter
substantially to subjective well-being (SWB). Non-zero sum goals, which include commitment to family, friends and social and
political involvement, promote life satisfaction. Zero sum goals, including commitment to career success and material gains,
appear detrimental to life satisfaction. Finding that conscious life goals matter can potentially make an important contribution
to SWB theory. The most widely accepted theory—set-point or dynamic equilibrium theory—essentially claims that set-points
are near-automatic consequences of hereditary characteristics, including personality traits. Life goals play no role in these
theories and major life events are viewed as having only a transitory effect. The SOEP panel data show that, over a 15–20
year period, non-trivial minorities record substantial changes in their set-points. This paper shows linkages between these
changes and (a) the personality traits of extraversion, neuroticism and internal locus of control and (b) choice of life goals.
相似文献
Bruce HeadeyEmail: |
5.
Recent research on well-being suggests that domain-specific behaviors contribute to domain-specific satisfactions, which in
turn contribute to an individual’s overall satisfaction with life. Our study is an attempt to add to the literature by observing
these phenomena from a financial perspective. Using data collected from a sample of undergraduate students at a major state
university in the U.S. and employing structural equation modeling, we have found evidence suggesting that positive financial
behaviors contribute to financial satisfaction and financial satisfaction in turn contributes to life satisfaction. In addition,
positive financial behaviors contribute to life satisfaction through two more mediating variables: academic performance and
academic satisfaction. 相似文献
6.
The aim of this investigation was to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived or experienced quality
of life. In the fall of 2006 a questionnaire was mailed out to a random selection of 2000 households in each of five British
Columbia communities, and 1027 were returned completed. The total and individual community samples should be regarded as merely
representative of some British Columbian residents who had some interest in the arts. Sixty-six kinds of arts-related activities
were identified in the questionnaire, and five indexes were created to help explain people’s motives for engaging in such
activities. Seven different scales were used to measure respondents’ overall assessment of their lives, (1) self-reported
general health (5-point scale), (2) satisfaction with life as a whole (7-point scale), (3) satisfaction with the overall quality
of life (7-points), (4) happiness with life as a whole (7-points), (5) satisfaction with life as a whole (5-item index), (6)
contentment with life (5-item index), (7) subjective wellbeing (4-item index). In the context of all our predictors, based
on the relative impact of all the arts-related activities and the satisfaction obtained from those activities on our seven
overall life assessment variables, it is fair to say that such activities and their corresponding satisfaction contributed
relatively little. While this may seem incredible (especially to arts enthusiasts), it is important to keep in mind the initial
condition “in the context of all our predictors” and the qualifier “relatively”. Our inability to discover greater marginal
or total impacts of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of life may be the result of our use of the wrong search
instruments for the great variety of values involved. It is an open question whether we used the best tools and found as much
as there was to find or whether better tools would have found more. 相似文献
7.
Absolute Income,Relative Income,and Happiness 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
This paper uses data from the World Values Survey to investigate how an individual’s self-reported happiness is related to
(i) the level of her income in absolute terms, and (ii) the level of her income relative to other people in her country. The
main findings are that (i) both absolute and relative income are positively and significantly correlated with happiness, (ii)
quantitatively, changes in relative income have much larger effects on happiness than do changes in absolute income, and (iii)
the effects on happiness of both absolute and relative income are small when compared to the effects several non-pecuniary
factors.
相似文献
Kateryna ChernovaEmail: |
8.
9.
Personal Values as Mitigating Factors in the Link Between Income and Life Satisfaction: Evidence from the European Social Survey 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
Using data from the first two rounds of the European Social Survey, we examine the link between income, reference income and
life satisfaction across Western Europe. We find that whilst there is a strong positive relationship between income and life
satisfaction, reference or comparison income exerts a strong negative influence. Interestingly, our results confirm the importance
of personal values and beliefs not only as predictors of subjective well-being, but also as mitigating factors in the relationship
between income, reference income and life satisfaction. While our findings provide additional empirical support for the relative
utility hypothesis, they are also consistent with Rojas’ (J Econ Psychol 28:1–14, 2007) Conceptual-Referent-Theory (CRT), which is based on the premise that the salience of income and comparison income depends on one’s intrinsic values
and personal beliefs.
相似文献
Yannis GeorgellisEmail: |
10.
Viren Swami 《Social indicators research》2008,88(2):347-353
The Subjective Happiness Scale (Lyubomirsky and Lepper, Social Indicators Research, 46, 137–155, 1999) is a brief measure for assessing subjective happiness. The reliability and validity of the Malay version
of the Subjective Happiness Scale was investigated in a community sample of 290 Chinese and 227 Malays in Malaysia. Results
showed that the Malay Subjective Happiness Scale has excellent internal consistency, a unitary structure, and stability over
a 30-day period and across ethnic groups. Moreover, the Malay version of the scale exhibited good convergent validity with
single-item happiness scales. The availability of the Malay Subjective Happiness Scale is expected to facilitate the examination
of happiness in Malay-speaking populations. 相似文献
11.
This paper explores the connection between unemployment and subjective well-being in Finland using cross-sections for the
years 1990, 1996 and 2000 from World Values Surveys. Interestingly, an unprecedented increase in the national unemployment
rate (from 3 to 17%) did not produce a drop in the mean level of subjective well-being. Personally experiencing unemployment
reduces life satisfaction, but does not have a significant effect on happiness in ordered logit estimation. However, generalized
ordered logit estimation reveals that being unemployed has a negative effect on happiness at lower happiness scores, but no
significant effect at high happiness levels. 相似文献
12.
The issue of what determines subjective well-being has been at the centre of a recent flurry of research in the economics
field. A necessary part of this understanding is the role relative positions (economic, social, geographic) of economic agents,
particularly individuals, play in life (commonly referred to in the literature as rivalry). In this paper, we concentrate
on whether the structure of happiness equations of South Africa are the same/similar to those of developed countries. The
analysis uses three of the Durban Quality of Life Studies. Firstly these three data series are pooled and a variety of covariates
are tested for their significance on happiness. These include age, marital status, employment status, household income and
relative household income. Next we estimate yearly cross-sectional models to see if there are consistent findings of what
determines happiness across the period considered. Our findings indicate there may be some structural differences between
results from the Durban studies and those of international findings. Age appears to play no role in happiness likelihood,
nor does marital status. Being unemployed does significantly and negatively effect happiness as does the size of household
income, relative household income and whether living in a formal dwelling place. When we distinguish between employment categories
we find that being self-employed negatively affects happiness, contradicting findings for developed countries.
The authors wish to thank members of the Department of Economics, University of the Witwatersrand, participants at the 10th
African Econometric Conference, Nairobi 2005 and International Society of Quality of Life Studies, Grahamstown South Africa
2006 as well as one anonymous referee for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. 相似文献
13.
Chang-Ming Hsieh 《Social indicators research》2008,87(1):127-137
This article seeks to extend Michalos’ [Social indicators research and health-related quality of life (QoL) research. Social Indicators Research, 65, 27–72, 2004] discussion on bridging social indicators research and health-related QoL (HRQoL) research through an examination
of (1) the relative importance of satisfaction with one’s own health to another common measure of QoL—Life satisfaction, and
(2) the relative importance of health in relation to other major life domains. Using data from two surveys, this article found
that individuals may perceive health as most important in relation to other major life domains but satisfaction with one’s
own health may not necessarily be the most important determining factor (in relation to satisfaction with other major life
domains) of QoL as measured by life satisfaction. These findings support Michalos’ (Social indicators research and HRQoL research.
Social Indicators Research, 65, 27–72, 2004) call for caution regarding the interpretation of research results on HRQoL since many HRQoL measures are measures
of satisfaction with one’s own health and should not be considered as measures of QoL. 相似文献
14.
The Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) is being developed for the cross-cultural measurement of subjective wellbeing (SWB). This paper reports the findings of its utility with the Hong Kong Chinese and Australian populations. An item on affect, ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was also investigated to determine whether it should be added to the index. Three-hundred and sixty participants (180 per country), with equal representation from groups aged 18–35, 35–64 and 65 years and above, were recruited from each country. The PWI demonstrated good psychometric performance in terms of its reliability, validity and sensitivity, which are comparable in both countries. The item ‘satisfaction with own happiness’ was found to contribute significantly to the scale’s psychometric performance in Australia but not in Hong Kong. Cultural differences in the perception of the concepts ‘satisfaction’ and ‘happiness’ were suggested as an explanation for this finding. The PWI data are also consistent with homeostasis theory, which proposes that each person’s SWB level is maintained within a limited positive range. For the Australian population, their mean SWB level fell within the established Western range of 70–80, on a scale from 0 to 100. The Hong Kong population, however, fell below this range. Cultural response bias was identified as a plausible explanation for the differences between the Hong Kong and Australian samples. 相似文献
15.
Jan Pflug 《Social indicators research》2009,92(3):551-563
Although happiness as a state of mind may be universal, its meaning takes culture-specific forms. Drawing on the concept of folk theories, this study attempted to uncover lay beliefs about the nature of happiness in Germany and South Africa. To that end, 57 German and 44 black South African students wrote free-format essays in response to the question: “What is happiness to you?” Using thematic analysis the following themes were found: (1) satisfaction; (2) contentment; (3) positive affect; (4) social relationships; (5) freedom; and (6) the opposite of unhappiness. In addition, German respondents defined happiness in terms of (7) surprising events. The exact meaning content of the above-mentioned dimensions showed clear influences of individualism/collectivism. However, strong culture-specific factors, such as the influence of philosophical traditions, material living circumstances and linguistic influences, were also found. 相似文献
16.
The Asia Barometer Survey of 1,038 respondents shows that most Singaporeans are happy and enjoy life, although they do not
feel a correspondingly high level of accomplishment. Good health, a comfortable home, a job, time with family and having enough
to eat emerged as key priorities in life. While Singaporeans are most satisfied with their marriages, family life, friendship,
housing, and public safety, their perceptions of their overall quality of life are mostly influenced by their relationships
with significant others and their satisfaction with their homes. Detailed demographic analyses are provided and policy implications
are discussed in light of these findings. 相似文献
17.
Alex C. Michalos P. Maurine Hatch Dawn Hemingway Loraine Lavallee Anne Hogan Bev Christensen 《Social indicators research》2007,84(2):127-158
Replicating a survey of 875 people 55 years old or more undertaken in September 1999 throughout the former Northern Interior
Health Region (NIHR) of British Columbia, in September 2005 a sample of 656 people completed a 22-page questionnaire. The
average age of the respondents was 68, with a range running from 55 to 96 years, and 64% were women. Responses to the SF-36
questionnaire indicated that for male respondents aged 55–64, the mean score for the 8 dimensions was 76.1. This mean was
a bit higher than the 74.4 mean of 1999. For male respondents aged 65 and older the mean was 69.0, which was also higher than
the 68.3 mean of 1999. For females aged 55–64, the mean score for 8 dimensions was 73.1, versus 73.0 in 1999. For female respondents
aged 65 and older, the mean score was 67.0, versus 65.4 in 1999. Based on these mean scores for the 8 dimensions, then, it
is fair to say that the overall health status of males and females aged 55 years and older in the region in 2005 was at least
as good as (i.e., the same as or better than) that in 1999. Comparing 28 average figures for the 2005 respondents on satisfaction
with specific domains of life (e.g., financial security, health, sense of meaning) and three global indicators (satisfaction
with life as a whole and with the overall quality of life, and happiness) with those of the 1999 respondents, we found that
the scores for the 2005 sample were at least as high as those of the other sample. Thus, it seems fair to say that the perceived
quality of life of older people in the former NIHR so far as it is revealed in domain and global satisfaction and happiness
scores, is at least as good as the perceived quality of life of a similar sample in 1999. Although a large majority perceived
increases in crime in the 2 year periods prior to both surveys, smaller percentages of the 2005 sample than of the 1999 sample
thought that crime had increased over the past two years, avoided going out at night, feared for their safety, had crime-related
worries, engaged in crime-related defensive behaviours and were actually the victims of any crimes. Therefore, it seems fair
to say that, so far as crime-related issues are concerned for the two samples of seniors responding to our surveys, there
is more evidence of improvement than of deterioration. Applying stepwise multiple regression, each of the eight dependent
variables was explained on the basis of four clusters of predictors separately and then a final regression was run using only
the statistically significant predictors from the four clusters. Broadly speaking, 7 SF-36 health status scales explained
from 28% to 45% of the variance in the 8 dependent variables, running from satisfaction with the overall quality of life (28%)
to the single item measure of general health (45%). The seven predictors in the Social Relations cluster explained from 7%
of the variance in the SF-36 General Health scale scores to 57% of the variance in the Life Satisfaction scores. The four
predictors in the Problems cluster explained from 10% of the variance in the SF-36 General Health scale scores to 24% of the
variance in the SWLS scores. The 11 predictors in the Domain Satisfaction cluster explained from 14% of the variance in the
SF-36 General Health scale scores to 64% of the variance in the SWB scores. Putting all the significant predictors together
for each dependent variable, in the weakest case, 4 of 11 potential predictors explained 33% of the variance in the SF-36
General Health scale scores and in the strongest case, 9 of 15 potential predictors explained 70% of the variance in Life
Satisfaction scores. Among other things, these results clearly show that respondents’ ideas about a generally healthy life
are different from, but not independent of, their ideas about a happy, satisfying or contented life, or about the perceived
quality of their lives or their subjective wellbeing. Finally, the 7 core discrepancy predictors of MDT plus incomes were
used to explain the eight dependent variables. From 13% of the variance in the SF-36 General Health scale scores to 57% of
the variance in SWLS scores was explained using those predictors. Based on an examination of the Total Effects scores for
the predictors of the 8 dependent variables, the most influential predictors were Self-Wants, followed by Self-Others and
then Self-Best. In other words, the most influential discrepancy predictors of respondents’ overall life assessments were
those between what respondents have versus what they want, followed by what they have versus what others of the same age and
sex have, and then by what they have versus the best they ever had in the past.
We would like to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for support of this research with funds
granted to Alex C. Michalos through the Gold Medal Award in 2004. 相似文献
18.
In Germany, processes can be observed that have long been out of keeping with the principle of equality of opportunity. Unemployment
is concentrated in the structurally weak peripheral areas, in Eastern Germany in particular; emigration of young and better-educated
people to the West is not diminishing, but contrary to expectation is again on the increase; aging processes have set in already,
and when it comes to the provision of infrastructure, e.g. in the field of professional training, some regions are already
suffering from considerable problems. These difficulties are frequently interpreted as differences between East and West and
are explained away as problems resulting from reunification, such as the deindustrialization and restructuring of the economy
and the enormous decline in the birth rate in Eastern Germany. Although these problems cannot just be attributed to social
transformation and the birth rate crisis alone, being subject to more general processes of intensified globalization and the
aging of society, the increasing regional disparities are rarely considered in the overall context of regional development
patterns throughout Germany.
Moreover, the difficulty of even obtaining data for purposes of comparison generally means that an international yardstick
is lacking when regional developments are analyzed. The present study investigates regional disparities over a period of time
in the light of subjective and objective indicators of the quality of life for individuals. To this end, we make use of data
from the Wohlfahrtssurvey [Welfare Survey] from 1978 to 2001, among other sources. On the basis of the Euromodule that has
been established at the WZB, we compare current regional patterns in Germany with those in other European countries. This
approach makes it possible to provide information on the scale of regional disparities in various different countries, and
to identify privileged and handicapped regions with reference to standards of living and the sense of wellbeing. The study’s
findings show that, in the past 25 years, welfare in Western Germany has evened out at a higher level, but currently a trend
towards increasing economic disparity is discernible. In comparison with other European countries, on the other hand, the
differences (regional differences) within Germany are comparatively slight. 相似文献
19.
The AsiaBarometer of 1,000 respondents shows that Hong Kong people have a great desire for materialistic attainment, and such
an emphasis on materialism bodes ill for their quality of life. Negative assessments of the public life sphere, which encompasses
the natural environment, the social welfare system, and the democratic system, also detract from the experiences of happiness,
enjoyment, and accomplishment in Hong Kong. Surprisingly, access to digital communication devices helps Hong Kong people to
experience a greater quality of life.
相似文献
Ming SingEmail: |
20.
The Anamnestic Comparative Self Assessment (ACSA) measure of subjective well-being (SWB) aims to reduce the problems of cultural
bias and relativity to external standards by allowing people to define the endpoints or ‘anchors’ of the measurement scale.
In medical terminology anamnestic denotes ‘based on memory’. The ACSA uses subjects’ memories of the best and worst periods
in their lives to define the anchors of the scale. They then assess their current quality of life relative to these personal
anchors. The South African pilot study tested the match between self-assessment of SWB with ACSA and the conventional single-item
measures of life satisfaction and happiness used in the South African Quality of Life Trends Study and analysed the narratives
of the best and worst times of life. The quota sample of 46 consisted of 26 residents of Makana district in the Eastern Cape
Province, South Africa, and 20 patients undergoing treatment in the local TB hospital. Mean SWB ratings with all three measures
of life satisfaction, happiness and ACSA were between 5 and 6 on a 0–10-point scale. Ratings on all three scales were positively
correlated. However, on ACSA the TB patients rated their current SWB 1.84 points lower than the community respondents, suggesting
a greater sensitivity of this measure. It was observed that the starting points of the life stories produced by respondents
to define the anchor periods for ACSA were related to their current assessment of SWB. A typology was developed that combined
the starting point of the life stories with current SWB. The majority of community respondents matched the ‘Achiever’ type
who scored positively on ACSA (i.e., above the mid-point of the scale) and whose life stories started with the worst period
of their lives and proceeded to the best period. The TB patients were the only respondents to represent the ‘Survivor’ type
whose morale had recovered after misfortune in life. ‘Survivors’ started their narratives with the best period in their lives,
then moved to the worst (often health-related) one, and gave positive ACSA ratings. Based on the qualitative analysis of narratives,
it is concluded that ACSA is a sensitive measurement instrument and therefore particularly useful for monitoring the effects
of treatments and social interventions in longitudinal studies. However, further research is required to verify its cross-cultural
validity.
相似文献
Jan BernheimEmail: |