Happiness – wie Glück, Arbeit und Einkommen zusammenhängen
Das Streben nach Glück ist ein zentrales Element im Leben, wobei das individuelle Wohlbefinden sowohl persönliche als auch gesellschaftliche Ursachen hat. Welchen Einfluss haben Wirtschaftsentwicklung, Einkommen, der berufliche Werdegang oder Arbeitslosigkeitserfahrungen auf das Glücksempfinden eines Menschen? Die IAB-Infoplattform bietet hierzu aktuelle Literatur.
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Literaturhinweis
Does the unemployment rate moderate the well-being disadvantage of the unemployed? Within-region estimates from the European Social Survey (2024)
Zitatform
Hajdu, Gábor & Tamás Hajdu (2024): Does the unemployment rate moderate the well-being disadvantage of the unemployed? Within-region estimates from the European Social Survey. In: Kyklos, Jg. 77, H. 1, S. 40-56. DOI:10.1111/kykl.12357
Abstract
"Using pooled cross-sectional data (eight waves of the European Social Survey), this work analysed how the regional unemployment rate influences the well-being disadvantages of the unemployed. We estimate region fixed effects and slopes models that, unlike the standard region fixed effects approach, provide an unbiased estimate of the cross-level interaction term (between being unemployed and the unemployment rate) in the absence of unobserved time-variant confounders. The results show that the satisfaction disadvantage of the unemployed (relative to the employed) is larger when the regional unemployment rate is higher. Smaller and insignificant differences were found regarding happiness. These results are in line with the argument that worse re-employment perspectives in high-unemployment regions may be particularly harmful to unemployed people. These results do not contradict the claim that, in regions with a weaker social norm to work, unemployed people may be more satisfied. Instead, they suggest that the unemployment rate does not reflect the social norm to work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Multidimensional work-nonwork balance: are balanced employees productive at work and satisfied with life? (2024)
Hildenbrand, Kristin; Topakas, Anna; Daher, Pascale; Gan, Xiaoyu;Zitatform
Hildenbrand, Kristin, Pascale Daher, Anna Topakas & Xiaoyu Gan (2024): Multidimensional work-nonwork balance: are balanced employees productive at work and satisfied with life? In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 35, H. 6, S. 1048-1087. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2023.2258335
Abstract
"Given ever increasing work and nonwork demands, achieving work-nonwork (WNW) balance is an important priority for many employees. Scholars have only recently settled on a definition of WNW balance as multidimensional and, as such, our understanding of its antecedents and outcomes is limited. Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory, we explore how organizations can support employees to achieve WNW balance and whether ‘balanced’ employees are more productive at work and satisfied with life. In detail, we hypothesize that the positive effect of supervisor WNW support (FSS) on employees’ life satisfaction and job performance is mediated by multidimensional WNW balance. We find, across two studies with two waves each, that only the dimension of WNW balance effectiveness and not the dimension of WNW balance satisfaction mediated the relationships between FSS, life satisfaction (Study 1 and 2) and self-rated job performance (Study 1). The relationship between FSS and supervisor-rated job performance (Study 2) was not mediated by either WNW balance dimension. As such, organizations can facilitate WNW balance through FSS, while ‘balanced’ employees seem indeed happier with their life and consider themselves to be better performing at work. We discuss the unexpected finding regarding the superior role of WNW balance effectiveness over WNW balance satisfaction for our outcomes in relation to the conceptualization of WNW balance as multidimensional and delineate important theoretical and practical implications." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Examining interindividual differences in unemployment-related changes in subjective well-being: The role of psychological well-being and re-employment expectations (2024)
Zitatform
Lawes, Mario, Clemens Hetschko, Ronnie Schöb, Gesine Stephan & Michael Eid (2024): Examining interindividual differences in unemployment-related changes in subjective well-being: The role of psychological well-being and re-employment expectations. In: European Journal of Personality online erschienen am 12.02.2024, S. 1-22. DOI:10.1177/08902070241231315
Abstract
"This study examined whether the six trait-like dimensions of psychological well-being (e.g., autonomy and environmental mastery) moderate the effects of unemployment on various facets of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, satisfaction with life domains, and experienced mood). Further, re-employment expectations during unemployment were investigated as a moderator in this context. The study is based on monthly panel data (Nobservations > 23,000) of two samples of initially employed German jobseekers, who either registered as jobseekers due to (i) mass layoffs or plant closures (N = 552) or (ii) other reasons (N = 988). The results indicate substantial interindividual differences in unemployment-related changes across all examined subjective well-being facets. However, dimensions of psychological well-being did generally not moderate these changes. Only in one unemployment context, environmental mastery was positively related to unemployment-related mood changes. Good re-employment expectations were related to increases in several well-being facets (e.g., leisure satisfaction) compared to being employed, whereas poor re-employment expectations were associated with particularly detrimental effects of unemployment in terms of life satisfaction. Overall, the study provides further evidence that (perceived) contextual features of unemployment seem to be particularly relevant for how individuals experience unemployment, whereas internal (coping) resources only seem to play a negligible role." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Experienced versus decision utility: large-scale comparison for income–leisure preferences (2023)
Zitatform
Akay, Alpaslan, Olivier B. Bargain & H. Xavier Jara (2023): Experienced versus decision utility: large-scale comparison for income–leisure preferences. In: The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Jg. 125, H. 4, S. 823-859. DOI:10.1111/sjoe.12538
Abstract
"Subjective well‐being (SWB) data are increasingly used to perform welfare analysis. Interpreted as “experienced utility”, it has recently been compared to “decision utility” using small‐scale experiments most often based on stated preferences. We transpose this comparison to the framework of non‐experimental and large‐scale data commonly used for policy analysis, focusing on the income–leisure domain where redistributive policies operate. Using the British Household Panel Survey, we suggest a “deviation” measure, which is simply the difference between actual working hours and SWB‐maximizing hours. We show that about three‐quarters of individuals make decisions that are not inconsistent with maximizing their SWB. We discuss the potential channels that explain the lack of optimization when deviations are significantly large. We find proxies for a number of individual and external constraints, and show that constraints alone can explain more than half of the deviations. In our context, deviations partly reflect the inability of the revealed preference approach to account for labor market rigidities, so the actual and SWB‐maximizing hours should be used in a complementary manner. The suggested approach based on our deviation metric could help identify labor market frictions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
What do Happiness Data Mean? Theory and Survey Evidence (2023)
Benjamin, Daniel J.; Debnam Guzman, Jakina; Fleurbaey, Marc; Kimball, Miles; Heffetz, Ori;Zitatform
Benjamin, Daniel J., Jakina Debnam Guzman, Marc Fleurbaey, Ori Heffetz & Miles Kimball (2023): What do Happiness Data Mean? Theory and Survey Evidence. In: Journal of the European Economic Association, Jg. 21, H. 6, S. 2377-2412. DOI:10.1093/jeea/jvad026
Abstract
"What utility notion—e.g. flow/lifetime, self/family-centered—do self-reported well-being (SWB) questions measure? Existing applications make different assumptions regarding the (i) life domains, (ii) time horizons, and (iii) other-regarding preferences captured by SWB data. To obtain relevant evidence, we ask survey respondents what they had in mind regarding (i)–(iii) when answering commonly used—life satisfaction, happiness, ladder—and new SWB questions. We find that respondents’ self-reports differ from researchers’ assumptions and differ across SWB questions and sociodemographic groups. At the same time, simple SWB-question wording tweaks are effective in moving self-reports toward desired interpretations. We outline actionable suggestions for SWB researchers. (JEL: D69, D90, I31)" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
More education does make you happier — unless you are unemployed (2023)
Bertermann, Alexander; Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah; Kamhöfer, Daniel A.;Zitatform
Bertermann, Alexander, Daniel A. Kamhöfer & Hannah Schildberg-Hörisch (2023): More education does make you happier — unless you are unemployed. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 1192), Berlin, 40 S.
Abstract
"This paper investigates the causal effect of education on life satisfaction, exploring effect heterogeneity along employment status. We use exogenous variation in compulsory schooling requirements and the build-up of new, academically more demanding schools, shifting educational attainment along the entire distribution of schooling. Leveraging plant closures and longitudinal information, we also address the endogeneity of employment status. We find a positive effect of education on life satisfaction for employed individuals, but a negative one for those without a job. We propose an aspiration-augmented utility function as a unifying explanation for the asymmetric effect of education on life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
More Education Does Make You Happier – Unless You Are Unemployed (2023)
Bertermann, Alexander; Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah; Kamhöfer, Daniel A.;Zitatform
Bertermann, Alexander, Daniel A. Kamhöfer & Hannah Schildberg-Hörisch (2023): More Education Does Make You Happier – Unless You Are Unemployed. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16454), Bonn, 40 S.
Abstract
"This paper investigates the causal effect of education on life satisfaction, exploring effect heterogeneity along employment status. We use exogenous variation in compulsory schooling requirements and the build-up of new, academically more demanding schools, shifting educational attainment along the entire distribution of schooling. Leveraging plant closures and longitudinal information, we also address the endogeneity of employment status. We find a positive effect of education on life satisfaction for employed individuals, but a negative one for those without a job. We propose an aspiration-augmented utility function as a unifying explanation for the asymmetric effect of education on life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Impact of income and unemployment on happiness: panel data evidence for European countries (2023)
Cimpoeru, Smaranda;Zitatform
Cimpoeru, Smaranda (2023): Impact of income and unemployment on happiness: panel data evidence for European countries. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 30, H. 8, S. 1047-1051. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2022.2035666
Abstract
"This study examines the short-run and long-run relationships between happiness and two economic variables, namely income and unemployment. Drawing from a sample of eleven European countries over a time period of 36 years spanning 1985–2020, we find that both income and unemployment have a significant impact on happiness levels. In particular, the results show that higher income leads to higher happiness in the long-run, but the short-run impact is rather weak. Moreover, unemployment decreases people’s happiness levels both in the short and in the long-run, emphasizing the need for European policies directed to job creation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Time Use and Life Satisfaction within Couples: A Gender Analysis for Belgium (2023)
Zitatform
De Rock, Bram & Guillaume Périlleux (2023): Time Use and Life Satisfaction within Couples: A Gender Analysis for Belgium. In: Feminist economics, Jg. 29, H. 4, S. 1-35. DOI:10.1080/13545701.2023.2251505
Abstract
"This article looks at the time allocation of individuals with a focus on paid and unpaid work, its division within households, and its link with life satisfaction. The study uses the cross-sectional MEqIN database for Belgium in 2016 and corrects for heterogeneity by using measures of the personality traits. The division of time appears to be quite gendered. Women are found to be more satisfied when working part time. This could be because a majority of working women still undertake most of the unpaid work so that they end up operating a double shift. Looking at the link of time allocation of both partners on the individuals' life satisfaction, men's behavior appears to be in accordance with a conservative gender attitude, and even a breadwinner version, while women's behavior is closer to an egalitarian gender attitude. The study further observes that those behaviors are softened by the presence of children." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Why does happiness respond differently to an increase vs. decrease in income? (2023)
Easterlin, Richard A.;Zitatform
Easterlin, Richard A. (2023): Why does happiness respond differently to an increase vs. decrease in income? In: Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Jg. 209, S. 200-204. DOI:10.1016/j.jebo.2023.02.005
Abstract
"The answer is that people's evaluations of their income situation are based on different considerations when the economy is expanding and when it is contracting. When, in the course of economic growth, incomes generally are rising, evaluations of one's own income—whether it is satisfactory –tend to be dominated by comparisons with the incomes of others—by “social comparison”. If one's income is just “keeping up with the Joneses”, happiness is unchanged. But in a recession, as incomes decline and people increasingly have difficulty satisfying consumption habits and fixed financial obligations acquired when incomes were higher, the benchmark for income evaluations shifts to comparisons with one's past experience– how current income compares with one's previous peak income. The greater the shortfall, the less one's happiness. The shift when income declines, from comparison with others to comparison with one's past experience, is typically forced on individuals by the growing pressure of meeting fixed financial obligations. There is thus an asymmetry in the psychological roots of income evaluations when income is rising vs. falling, and this causes a corresponding asymmetry in the response of happiness to income change. When income is rising and social comparison is the basis for evaluating one's income situation, changes in income have, on average, a nil effect on happiness. When income falls below its previous peak and past personal experience is the basis for evaluating one's income situation, happiness goes down and up with income." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2023 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Are Senior Entrepreneurs Happier than Who? The Role of Income and Health (2023)
Zitatform
Fritsch, Michael, Alina Sorgner & Michael Wyrwich (2023): Are Senior Entrepreneurs Happier than Who? The Role of Income and Health. (IZA discussion paper / Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 16534), Bonn, 46 S.
Abstract
"We propose an extension of the standard occupational choice model to analyze the life satisfaction of senior entrepreneurs as compared to paid employees and particularly retirees in Germany. The analysis identifies income and health status as main factors that shape the relationship between occupational status and life satisfaction. Senior entrepreneurs enjoy higher levels of life satisfaction than retirees and senior paid employees. This higher life satisfaction is mainly due to their higher income. Physical and mental health play a crucial role in determining both an individual's occupational status and their overall life satisfaction. We find that senior self-employed report to be healthier compared to other groups of elderly individuals. However, when controlling for health, retirees exhibit an even higher level of life satisfaction compared to their self-employed counterparts. Heterogeneity analysis of various types of senior entrepreneurs and senior paid employees confirms this general pattern. In addition, we find some evidence indicating that senior entrepreneurs may compromise their leisure time, a main asset of retired individuals. Implications for research, policy, and practitioners are discussed." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Impact of Unemployment on Cognitive, Affective, and Eudaimonic Well-Being Facets: Investigating Immediate Effects and Short-Term Adaptation (2023)
Zitatform
Lawes, Mario, Clemens Hetschko, Ronnie Schöb, Gesine Stephan & Michael Eid (2023): The Impact of Unemployment on Cognitive, Affective, and Eudaimonic Well-Being Facets: Investigating Immediate Effects and Short-Term Adaptation. In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Jg. 124, H. 3, S. 659-681., 2022-02-10. DOI:10.1037/pspp0000417
Abstract
"While long-lasting declines in life satisfaction following unemployment have been well documented, evidence on the impact of unemployment on affective and eudaimonic well-being is scarce. Moreover, most existing studies relied on yearly panel data and were unable to separate the immediate effects of entering unemployment from prospective effects occurring before individuals become unemployed. The present study identified the immediate effects of entering unemployment on cognitive, affective and eudaimonic well-being facets using a control-group design based on monthly panel data of initially employed German jobseekers who were at high risk of losing their job. In order to investigate patterns of short-term adaptation, the study further examined whether average well-being levels change within the first months of unemployment using a mixed-effects trait-state-occasion model. All effects were separately computed for jobseekers affected by mass-layoffs or plant closures and individuals who registered as jobseekers due to other reasons. Multi-item instruments and experience sampling were used to validly measure the various well-being facets. The results indicate that life satisfaction and income satisfaction significantly decreased for individuals affected by mass-layoffs or plant closures from the last month in employment to the first month in unemployment. For individuals who registered as jobseekers due to other reasons, these effects were smaller and not significant in the case of life satisfaction. Crucially, there were no immediate effects of entering unemployment on the examined affective and eudaimonic well-being facets. Moreover, well-being levels were generally stable within the first months of unemployment indicating a general absence of short-term adaptation." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) ((en))
Weiterführende Informationen
Supplemental materials -
Literaturhinweis
The relationship between perceived economic standing and happiness (2023)
Zitatform
Svavarsdottir, Gudrun & Tinna Laufey Asgeirsdottir (2023): The relationship between perceived economic standing and happiness. In: Applied Economics Letters, Jg. 30, H. 17, S. 2413-2419. DOI:10.1080/13504851.2022.2097626
Abstract
"We examine the importance of perception in the relationship between income and happiness. Using Icelandic data, we show that people's perception of their economic standing is more telling of their happiness than their actual income. We find a stronger association between happiness and a negative perception of one's economic standing than happiness and a positive perception." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Exploring the relationship between working history, retirement transition and women's life satisfaction (2023)
Zitatform
Tambellini, Elisa (2023): Exploring the relationship between working history, retirement transition and women's life satisfaction. In: Ageing & Society, Jg. 43, S. 1754-1783. DOI:10.1017/S0144686X2100132X
Abstract
"How does the transition to retirement affect female subjective wellbeing? The major theoretical perspectives that have been applied as frameworks to study the heterogeneous adjustment to retirement include role theory and continuity theory. They have often been integrated with a lifecourse approach, which allows us to study retirement as a transition set inside a lifelong process. In this paper, I assess how working life courses are related to changes in subjective wellbeing before and after retirement, using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and concentrating on women. Firstly, I conduct sequence analysis and cluster analysis to identify groups of typical working lifecourses from ages 20 to 50. Secondly, regression models estimate how retirement transition is associated with changes in life satisfaction, according to the different working trajectories. The results show that some of the trajectories, constituted of discontinuity or part-time periods, exhibit a continuous increase in life satisfaction, passing from employment (or unemployment) to retirement. For other trajectories, such as the full-time one, retirement seems not to have implications for subjective wellbeing." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Assessment of goodness of fit of income distribution in France and Germany based on the Zenga distribution (2023)
Zitatform
Ćwiek, Małgorzata & Kamila Trzcińska (2023): Assessment of goodness of fit of income distribution in France and Germany based on the Zenga distribution. In: Quality & quantity, Jg. 57, H. 5, S. 4013-4027. DOI:10.1007/s11135-022-01556-w
Abstract
"The aim of this paper is to apply the Zenga distribution for equivalent disposable income from the last two waves of European Quality of Life Surveys for Germany and France (both for total society and selected socio-economic groups) and to assess the goodness of fit to empirical data. The Zenga distribution has not been used to describe the income distribution in these countries yet. The obtained parameters were assessed for fitting to empirical data using two measures—the Wasserstein-Kantorovich and the Wasserstein-Kantorovich standardized measure. The analysis of the results received allows for the conclusion that the Zenga distribution can fit the income distributions both for small as well as large values. It was also shown that the Zenga distribution fits the data well even with small and very small samples. The article uses a new measure to assess the fit of the distribution to empirical data, based on the Wasserstein-Kantorovich measure assessing the distance between the empirical and theoretical cumulative distribution function. The modification consisted in standardizing the Wasserstein-Kantorovich measure by dividing the field between distributors by the rectangle area, where length is maximum income and width is maximum value of the cumulative distribution function. The proposed measure is not sensitive to extreme values, often found in the analysis of income distribution, and can be applied even in very small samples." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Employment Status and Well-Being Among Young Individuals. Why Do We Observe Cross-Country Differences? (2022)
Zitatform
Buttler, Dominik (2022): Employment Status and Well-Being Among Young Individuals. Why Do We Observe Cross-Country Differences? In: Social indicators research, Jg. 164, H. 1, S. 409-437. DOI:10.1007/s11205-022-02953-2
Abstract
"In this paper we analyse why in some countries the difference in subjective well-being between employed and unemployed young individuals is substantial, whereas in others it remains small. The strength of this relationship has important consequences, hence it affects the intensity of the job search by the unemployed as well as the retention and productivity of employees. In the analysis we are focused on youth and young adults who constitute a group particularly exposed to the risks of joblessness, precarious or insecure employment. We expect that in economies where young people are able to find jobs of good quality, the employment–well-being relationship tends to be stronger. However, this relationship also depends on the relative well-being of the young unemployed. Based on the literature on school-to-work transition we have identified macro-level factors shaping the conditions of labour market entry of young people (aged 15–35), which consequently affect their well-being. The estimation of multilevel regression models with the use of the combined dataset from the European Social Survey and macro-level databases has indicated that these are mainly education system characteristics (in particular vocational orientation and autonomy of schools) and labour market policy spending that moderate the employment–well-being relationship of young individuals." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Eine Analyse der Lebenszufriedenheit bei der Geburtenjahrgänge 1957-1976 in Deutschland entlang des Erwerbsstatus, Erwerbsminderungsstatus und Erwerbsminderungsrentenbezugs (2022)
Champion, Steven Mark;Zitatform
Champion, Steven Mark (2022): Eine Analyse der Lebenszufriedenheit bei der Geburtenjahrgänge 1957-1976 in Deutschland entlang des Erwerbsstatus, Erwerbsminderungsstatus und Erwerbsminderungsrentenbezugs. In: Deutsche Rentenversicherung, Jg. 77, H. 4, S. 340-356.
Abstract
"Der Beitrag geht der Forschungsfrage nach, ob sich ein negativer oder positiver Zusammenhang zwischen Erwerbszuständen und Lebenszufriedenheitswerten feststellen lässt. Nach Ausdifferenzierung verschiedener Erwerbszustände über Erwerbsstatus, Erwerbsminderungsstatus, Erwerbsminderungsart und Erwerbsminderungsrentenbezug erfolgt die Synthese eine Zufriedenheitsindexes als Vergleichsmaß. Die Analysen zeigen eine positive Wirkung von Erwerbstätigkeit auf die Lebenszufriedenheit über alle Analysegruppen hinweg. Außerdem zeigt sich, dass eine Erwerbsminderung einen negativen Einfluss auf die Zufriedenheit hat. Eine Erwerbsminderungsrente kann diesen Effekt nicht nachhaltig ausgleichen, sie kann aber insbesondere bei Erwerbslosen dazu beitragen, die Zufriedenheitswerte zu stabilisieren." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Occupational Status and Life Satisfaction in the UK: The Miserable Middle? (2022)
Zitatform
Georgellis, Yannis, Andrew E. Clark, Emmanuel Apergis & Catherine Robinson (2022): Occupational Status and Life Satisfaction in the UK: The Miserable Middle? (IZA discussion paper 15360), Bonn, 68 S.
Abstract
"We use British panel data to explore the link between occupational status and life satisfaction. We find puzzling evidence, for men, of a U-shaped relationship in cross-section data: employees in medium-status occupations report lower life satisfaction scores than that of employees in either low- or high-status occupations. This puzzle disappears in panel data: the satisfaction of any man rises as he moves up the status ladder. The culprit seems to be immobility: the miserable middle is caused by men who (in our data) have always been in medium-status occupations. There is overall little evidence of a link between occupational status and life satisfaction for women." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Earmarked Paternity Leave and Well-Being (2022)
Korsgren, Pontus; van Lent, Max;Zitatform
Korsgren, Pontus & Max van Lent (2022): Earmarked Paternity Leave and Well-Being. (IZA discussion paper 15022), Bonn, 24 S.
Abstract
"Earmarked paternity leave has been introduced in an attempt to increase fathers' involvement in child rearing and to achieve gender equality in the labor market and at home. So far well-being effects of such policies are unexplored. This paper takes a first step in that direction by studying the impact of earmarked paternity leave quota on life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and work-life balance using several policy changes in Europe over the period 1993-2007. We find that earmarked paternity leave increases life satisfaction by 0.18 on a 10 point scale which is equivalent to a 10.8 percentage point increase even decades later. Both fathers and mothers benefit, though the increase in life satisfaction for mothers is nearly 30% higher than that of fathers. Perhaps surprisingly, the impact on job satisfaction and work-life balance is close to zero. Hence even when the impact of paternity leave quota on the labor market are small, the increases in life satisfaction may still justify the existence of such policies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Unemployment and Well-Being of Europeans Across the Life Cycle: The Role of Countries' Macroeconomic Situation (2022)
Zitatform
Malisauskaite, Gintare, Olena Nizalova & Despoina Xanthopoulou (2022): Unemployment and Well-Being of Europeans Across the Life Cycle: The Role of Countries' Macroeconomic Situation. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 162, H. 3, S. 1387-1412. DOI:10.1007/s11205-022-02892-y
Abstract
"Unemployment impairs individuals' well-being and health and there is some empirical evidence showing that macroeconomic conditions can moderate these effects. This paper goes a step further and investigates differences in how macroeconomic indicators of European countries' economic situation relate to individual subjective health and well-being, and also moderate the relationship between individual labour market exclusion and these outcomes across age groups: young individuals (aged 15–29), prime working age adults (aged 30–49, base category) and pre-retirement age adults (aged 50–64). We used two different macroeconomic indicators to define macroeconomic situation: country-level unemployment rate and gross domestic product (GDP). Both indicators were disaggregated into long-term economic trend and business cycle shocks using Hodrick–Prescott filtering to allow distinguishing between expected and unexpected change in macroeconomic circumstances. We used the European Social Survey individual-level data from 35 European countries for 2002–2014. Multi-level analysis with three levels were run for men and women separately. Results revealed differences in how individual-level unemployment related to well-being depending on the age group, with pre-retirement age group adults' health and well-being suffering the most. Also, macroeconomic indicators were found to moderate the relationship between individual-level unemployment and subjective health and well-being with some noticeable differences between age groups, and with GDP trend having the most sizeable influence." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The increasing educational divide in the life course development of subjective wellbeing across cohorts (2022)
Zitatform
Patzina, Alexander (2022): The increasing educational divide in the life course development of subjective wellbeing across cohorts. In: Acta sociologica, Jg. 65, H. 3, S. 293-312., 2021-09-27. DOI:10.1177/00016993211055678
Abstract
"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." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Was macht bei der Arbeit glücklich?: Entwicklung und Validierung einer mehrdimensionalen Skala zur Erfassung von Glück bei der Arbeit (2022)
Zitatform
Rehwaldt, Ricarda & Timo Kortsch (2022): Was macht bei der Arbeit glücklich? Entwicklung und Validierung einer mehrdimensionalen Skala zur Erfassung von Glück bei der Arbeit. In: Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie, Jg. 66, H. 2, S. 72-86. DOI:10.1026/0932-4089/a000373
Abstract
"Glück bei der Arbeit spielt neben Arbeitszufriedenheit in der Forschung eine immer größere Rolle. Glück wurde sowohl theoretisch als auch metanalytisch mit positiven Folgen in Verbindung gebracht. Allerdings fehlt bislang ein validiertes Instrument in deutscher Sprache, um Bedingungen von Glück bei der Arbeit zu erfassen. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist deshalb, ein Messinstrument zur Erfassung von Bedingungen von Glück bei der Arbeit zu entwickeln und zu validieren. Basierend auf einem Modell von Rehwaldt (2017) entstand in vier aufeinander aufbauenden qualitativen und quantitativen Studien eine vierdimensionale Skala zur Erfassung von Bedingungen von Glück bei der Arbeit (HappinessandWork-Scale). In explorativen und konfirmatorischen Faktorenanalysen konnten vier Faktoren (Sinnempfinden, Selbstverwirklichung, Gemeinschaft professionell und Gemeinschaft vertraut) aufgedeckt werden, die erwartungsgemäß positiv korreliert waren. Die divergente Validität der vier Faktoren zeigte sich durch unterschiedliche Zusammenhänge mit mehreren relevanten Kriterien (z.B. Commitment, innovatives Verhalten). Implikationen der Ergebnisse für Theorie und Praxis werden abschließend diskutiert." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Hogrefe Verlag)
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Literaturhinweis
Redistributive preferences: Why actual income is ultimately more important than perceived income (2022)
Zitatform
Weisstanner, David & Klaus Armingeon (2022): Redistributive preferences: Why actual income is ultimately more important than perceived income. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 32, H. 2, S. 135-147. DOI:10.1177/09589287211037912
Abstract
"An emerging consensus claims that ‘subjective’ (mis)perceptions of income inequality better explain redistributive preferences than actual ‘objective’ conditions. In this article, we critically re-assess this view. We compare perceived and actual income positions as predictors for preferences for redistribution. We argue that perceived income is partly endogenous to actual income and its effect on preferences conditional on ideology. Using an original survey experiment from Switzerland, we show that the predictive power of perceived income is lower compared to actual income. Perceived income is only associated with redistribution preferences among centre-right respondents, but not among left-wing respondents. Furthermore, providing respondents with corrective information about their true position in the income hierarchy has no effect on redistribution preferences. These findings go against the new consensus about the superior explanatory power of subjective perceptions of income inequality. We argue instead that absolute objective conditions should be at the centre of explaining redistributive preferences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Is happiness U-shaped everywhere? Age and subjective well-being in 145 countries (2021)
Zitatform
Blanchflower, David G. (2021): Is happiness U-shaped everywhere? Age and subjective well-being in 145 countries. In: Journal of Population Economics, Jg. 34, H. 2, S. 575-624. DOI:10.1007/s00148-020-00797-z
Abstract
"A large empirical literature has debated the existence of a U-shaped happiness-age curve. This paper re-examines the relationship between various measures of well-being and age in 145 countries, including 109 developing countries, controlling for education and marital and labor force status, among others, on samples of individuals under the age of 70. The U-shape of the curve is forcefully confirmed, with an age minimum, or nadir, in midlife around age 50 in separate analyses for developing and advanced countries as well as for the continent of Africa. The happiness curve seems to be everywhere. While panel data are largely unavailable for this issue, and the findings using such data largely confirm the cross-section results, the paper discusses insights on why cohort effects do not drive the findings. I find the age of the minima has risen over time in Europe and the USA." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Children, unhappiness and family finances (2021)
Zitatform
Blanchflower, David G. & Andrew E. Clark (2021): Children, unhappiness and family finances. In: Journal of Population Economics, Jg. 34, H. 2, S. 625-653. DOI:10.1007/s00148-020-00798-y
Abstract
"The common finding of a zero or negative correlation between the presence of children and parental well-being continues to generate research interest. We consider international data, including well over one million observations on Europeans from 11 years of Eurobarometer surveys. We first replicate this negative finding, both in the overall data and then for most different marital statuses. Children are expensive: controlling for financial difficulties turns our estimated child coefficients positive. We argue that difficulties paying the bills explain the pattern of existing results by parental education and income and by country income and social support. Last, we underline that not all children are the same, with stepchildren commonly having a more negative correlation with well-being than children from the current relationship." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Education as a Positional Good? Evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel (2021)
Zitatform
Durst, Alessa K. (2021): Education as a Positional Good? Evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 155, H. 2, S. 745-767. DOI:10.1007/s11205-021-02619-5
Abstract
"People care about their relative standing in society and therefore compare themselves to relevant others. Empirical findings suggest that there are concerns for relative standing for different goods and life domains such as income, cars, attractiveness, and supervisor's praise. Even education has been mentioned as having a (partially) positional character. However, there has been only small consideration of education as a positional good in the empirical literature so far. Based on the literature on positional concerns and the role of education on relative position, I use German panel data to investigate the relationship between education and life satisfaction beyond the effect education might have through other variables such as income, health, or occupational prestige. Additionally, I consider the possibility that the consumption of education is subject to positional concerns. I discover a positive relationship between education and life satisfaction, indicating that education has a consumption component. Moreover, the relationship depends on the distribution of particular levels of education, suggesting that education has a positional character." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The role of work–life balance and autonomy in the relationship between commuting, employee commitment and well-being (2021)
Emre, Onur; De Spiegeleare, Stan;Zitatform
Emre, Onur & Stan De Spiegeleare (2021): The role of work–life balance and autonomy in the relationship between commuting, employee commitment and well-being. In: The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jg. 32, H. 11, S. 2443-2467. DOI:10.1080/09585192.2019.1583270
Abstract
"Commuting can be tiring and stressful. An unavoidable part of life for many people, it is almost always associated with negative outcomes. This study examined the implications of commuting time for the commitment and well-being of employees. This paper uses ‘conservation of resources’ theory and job demands–resources approaches to argue that employees with long commutes will be less committed and experience lower well-being. These effects are also expected to be mediated by the work–life balance of the employees and interact with the level of autonomy they perceive themselves to have. Data from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey indicate that there is a negative relationship between commuting time, commitment and well-being. Results also suggest that work–life balance mediates part of these relationships and, finally, that autonomy can act as a buffer against the effects of commuting time on both commitment and well-being." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Partner Pay Gap: Associations between Spouses' Relative Earnings and Life Satisfaction among Couples in the UK (2021)
Zitatform
Gash, Vanessa & Anke C. Plagnol (2021): The Partner Pay Gap: Associations between Spouses' Relative Earnings and Life Satisfaction among Couples in the UK. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 35, H. 3, S. 566-583. DOI:10.1177/0950017020946657
Abstract
"Despite women’s recent gains in education and employment, husbands still tend to out-earn their wives. This article examines the relationship between the partner pay gap (i.e. the difference in earned income between married, co-resident partners) and life satisfaction. Contrary to previous studies, we investigate the effects of recent changes in relative earnings within couples as well as labour market transitions. Using several waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study, we reveal that men exhibit an increase in life satisfaction in response to a recent increase in their proportional earnings relative to their wives’ earnings. For women, changes in proportional earnings had no effect on life satisfaction. We also find secondary-earning husbands report lower average life satisfaction than majority-earning and equal-earning men, while such differences were not found for women. The analysis offers compelling evidence of the ongoing role of gendered norms in the sustenance of the partner pay gap." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
How the Welfare-State Regime Shapes the Gap in Subjective Well-Being Between People With and Without Disabilities (2021)
Zitatform
Hadjar, Andreas & Edith Kotitschke (2021): How the Welfare-State Regime Shapes the Gap in Subjective Well-Being Between People With and Without Disabilities. In: Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie, Jg. 73, H. 4, S. 501-525. DOI:10.1007/s11577-021-00805-4
Abstract
"Der vorliegende Beitrag nimmt Behinderung, eine wenig beleuchtete Ungleichheitsachse, und subjektives Wohlbefinden in den Blick. Aufbauend auf die Theorie der sozialen Produktionsfunktionen wird der allgemeinen Annahme gefolgt, dass Menschen mit Behinderungen nicht die gleichen Möglichkeiten wie Menschen ohne Behinderungen haben, Ressourcen, instrumentelle Ziele und letztlich Wohlbefinden zu erlangen. Soziale Teilhabe und Arbeitsmarktintegration scheinen bedeutsame Mechanismen hinter den angesprochenen Disparitäten zu sein. Das Sozialsystem eines Landes auf der Makroebene prägt ebenso Unterschiede im subjektiven Wohlbefinden zwischen Gruppen. Die Hauptziele dieses Beitrags bestehen entsprechend darin, den Unterschied im subjektiven Wohlbefinden zwischen Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen zu analysieren. Inwieweit lässt sich dieser Unterschied durch Unterschiede in sozialer Teilhabe und Arbeitsmarktintegration erklären, und wie prägt das Wohlfahrtsstaatsregime den Unterschied in subjektivem Wohlbefinden zwischen Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen? Im Kern der Forschung stehen Mehrebenenanalysen von kumulierten Daten des European Social Survey aus 31 europäischen Ländern. Die Ergebnisse weisen darauf hin, dass Menschen mit Behinderungen ein signifikant geringeres subjektives Wohlbefinden zeigen als Menschen ohne Behinderungen. Wohlfahrtsstaatsregimes moderieren diesen Unterschied, wobei die Performanz der skandinavischen sozialdemokratischen (und familienorientierten) Länder hinsichtlich der Bereitstellung gleicher Lebensbedingungen für Menschen mit und ohne Behinderungen offenbar im Vergleich am stärksten erscheint." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag)
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Literaturhinweis
Perceived income inequality and subjective social status in Europe (2021)
Zitatform
Hajdu, Gábor (2021): Perceived income inequality and subjective social status in Europe. (GLO discussion paper / Global Labor Organization 926), Maastricht, 30 S.
Abstract
"This paper analyzes how perceived income inequality is associated with subjective well-being. Using four waves of the "Social Inequality" module of the International Social Survey Programme, I show that the higher the level of perceived income inequality is, the lower the individual's perception of her social standing, even if objective income inequality and preferences for the legitimate level of income inequality are controlled for. The results are robust to the measure of perceived inequality and the choice of the outcome variable. The analysis also provides evidence that the estimated association is weaker for individuals with higher income, higher education, and countries without postcommunist history. Overall, the results suggest that not only do objective inequality and perception of fairness have consequences regarding subjective well-being but also the perceived level of income inequality itself." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Being Poor and Feeling Rich or Vice Versa? The Determinants of Unequal Income Positions in Old Age Across Europe (2021)
Zitatform
Isengard, Bettina & Ronny König (2021): Being Poor and Feeling Rich or Vice Versa? The Determinants of Unequal Income Positions in Old Age Across Europe. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 154, H. 3, S. 767-787. DOI:10.1007/s11205-020-02546-x
Abstract
"Individual prosperity and welfare can be measured using both objective and subjective criteria. Although theory and previous research suggest that these two methods can produce corresponding results, the measurements can also be inconsistent. Against this background, the current paper investigates the relationship between the objective income position of older Europeans (aged 50 + years) and their perception of their financial situation, using the seventh wave of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) conducted in 2017. The main research questions include (1) how is objective income distributed in old age across Europe?, (2) how do elderly Europeans evaluate their income situation subjectively?, (3) is there a discrepancy between the objective prosperity position and their subjective perception observable?, (4) are there country-specific differences that are observable?, and (5) how can such discrepancies be explained?" (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Intrinsically Rewarding Work and Generativity in Midlife: The Long Arm of the Job (2021)
Zitatform
Krahn, Harvey J., Matthew D. Johnson & Nancy L. Galambos (2021): Intrinsically Rewarding Work and Generativity in Midlife: The Long Arm of the Job. In: Work and occupations, Jg. 48, H. 2, S. 184-206. DOI:10.1177/0730888420964942
Abstract
"Work is a productive activity that can also contribute to the well-being of the next generation. Using two waves of data from the Edmonton Transitions Study, this research examined the link between intrinsically rewarding work and generativity, or one?s perceived contributions to society. Controlling for relevant variables, more intrinsically rewarding work at age 43 predicted increasing generativity over the next seven years, and increases in intrinsic work rewards were associated with increased generativity between age 43 and 50. The results demonstrate the potential of the workplace to prompt growth in midlife generativity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Income Inequality, Social Comparison, and Happiness in the United States (2021)
Zitatform
Liao, Tim Futing (2021): Income Inequality, Social Comparison, and Happiness in the United States. In: Socius, Jg. 7, S. 1-17. DOI:10.1177/2378023120985648
Abstract
"Using social comparison theory, I investigate the relation between experienced happiness and income inequality. In the analysis, I study happiness effects of the individual-level within-gender-ethnicity comparison-based Gini index conditional on a state’s overall inequality, using a linked set of the March 2013 Current Population Survey and the 2013 American Time Use Survey data while controlling major potential confounders. The findings suggest that individuals who are positioned to conduct both upward and downward comparison would feel happier in states where overall income inequality is high. In states where inequality is not high, however, such effects are not present because social comparison becomes less meaningful when one’s position is not as clearly definable. Therefore, social comparison matters where inequality persists: One’s comparison with all similar others’ in the income distribution in a social environment determines the effect of one’s income on happiness, with the comparison target being the same gender-ethnic group." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Happiness adaptation to high income: Evidence from German panel data (2021)
Zitatform
Luo, Jianbo (2021): Happiness adaptation to high income: Evidence from German panel data. In: Economics Letters, Jg. 206. DOI:10.1016/j.econlet.2021.109995
Abstract
"This paper is the first to use national representative panel data to demonstrate that individuals do not adapt to high income in the long run: after five or more years, the life satisfaction of high-income people is still higher than that of the average population. Using entropy balancing (EB) matching and Lasso variable selection to reweight the control group yields similar results." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2021 Elsevier) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Perceived Well-Being and Health Costs of Exiting Self-Employment (2021)
Zitatform
Nikolova, Milena, Boris Nikolaev & Olga Popova (2021): The Perceived Well-Being and Health Costs of Exiting Self-Employment. In: Small business economics, Jg. 57, H. 4, S. 1819-1836. DOI:10.1007/s11187-020-00374-4
Abstract
"We explore how involuntary and voluntary exits from self-employment affect life and health satisfaction. To that end, we use rich longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel from 1985 to 2017 and a difference-in-differences estimator. We find that while transitioning from self-employment to salaried employment brings small improvements in health and life satisfaction, the negative psychological costs of business failure (i.e., switching from self-employment to unemployment) are substantial and exceed the costs of involuntarily losing a salaried job. Meanwhile, leaving self-employment has no consequences for self-reported physical health and behaviors such as smoking and drinking, implying that the costs of losing self-employment are mainly psychological. Moreover, former business owners fail to adapt to an involuntary self-employment exit even 2 or more years after this traumatic event. Our findings imply that policies encouraging entrepreneurship should also carefully consider the nonmonetary implications of business failure." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Is Happiness U-shaped Everywhere? Age and Subjective Well-being in 132 Countries (2020)
Zitatform
Blanchflower, David G. (2020): Is Happiness U-shaped Everywhere? Age and Subjective Well-being in 132 Countries. (NBER working paper 26641), Cambridge, Mass., 67 S. DOI:10.3386/w26641
Abstract
"I draw systematic comparisons across 109 data files and 132 countries of the relationship between well-being, variously defined, and age. I produce 444 significant country estimates with controls, so these are ceteris paribus effects, and find evidence of a well-being U-shape in age in one hundred and thirty-two countries, including ninety-five developing countries, controlling for education, marital and labor force status. I also frequently find it without any controls at all. There is additional evidence from an array of attitudinal questions that were worded slightly differently than standard happiness or life satisfaction questions such as satisfaction with an individual's financial situation. Averaging across the 257 individual country estimates from developing countries gives an age minimum of 48.2 for well-being and doing the same across the 187 country estimates for advanced countries gives a similar minimum of 47.2. The happiness curve is everywhere." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Unhappiness and age (2020)
Zitatform
Blanchflower, David G. (2020): Unhappiness and age. (NBER working paper 26642), Cambridge, Mass., 38 S. DOI:10.3386/w26642
Abstract
"I examine the relationship between unhappiness and age using data from six well-being data files on nearly ten million respondents across forty European countries and the United States. I use fifteen different individual characterizations of unhappiness including despair; anxiety; loneliness; sadness; strain, depression and bad nerves; phobias and panic; being downhearted; having restless sleep; losing confidence in oneself; not being able to overcome difficulties; being under strain; feeling a failure; feeling left out; feeling tense; and thinking of yourself as a worthless person. I also analyze responses to two more general attitudinal measures regarding the situation in the respondent's country as well as on the future of the world. Responses to all these unhappiness questions show a, ceteris paribus, inverted U-shape in age, with controls and many also do so without them. The resiliency of communities left behind by globalization was diminished by the Great Recession which made it especially hard for the vulnerable undergoing a midlife crisis with few resources, to withstand the shock. Unhappiness is hill-shaped in age. There is an unhappiness curve." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Zum beruflichen Selbstbild und zur Arbeits- und Lebenszufriedenheit im Handwerk in Deutschland (2020)
Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin; Binder, Martin;Zitatform
Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin & Martin Binder (2020): Zum beruflichen Selbstbild und zur Arbeits- und Lebenszufriedenheit im Handwerk in Deutschland. (Göttinger Beiträge zur Handwerksforschung 42), Göttingen, 29 S. DOI:10.3249/2364-3897-gbh-42
Abstract
"Die Arbeit im Handwerk unterscheidet sich von vielen anderen Berufen durch Arbeitsmerkmale, die stark prägend für das berufliche Selbstbild sind und außerdem positiv das Wohlbefinden der Arbeitnehmer beeinflussen können. Dazu zählt, dass Handwerker die Ergebnisse ihrer Arbeit sehen können, und sie die Möglichkeit haben, das gesamte Werkstück (und nicht nur einen kleinen Teil davon) eigenständig herzustellen. Dadurch nehmen sie ihre Arbeit als nützlich und sinnstiftend wahr. Angesichts von Untersuchungen, die zeigen, dass Arbeit in manchen Berufszweigen zunehmend als sinnlos empfunden wird, ist es von großer Bedeutung zu verstehen, welche Facetten der Arbeit die Schaffung einer starken beruflichen Identität ermöglichen, die dazu führt, dass Arbeit als sinnvoll und befriedigend erlebt wird. Die Studie hat dieses Forschungsziel und nutzt dafür eine deutschlandweite Umfrage im Handwerkssektor mit rund 2000 Teilnehmern. Der Fokus der Datenerhebung lag dabei darauf, einen Einblick in das berufliche Selbstbild und die Arbeitszufriedenheit der im deutschen Handwerk Beschäftigten zu erhalten. Diese zeichnen sich in der Befragung durch ein stark ausgeprägtes berufliches Selbstbild aus und identifizieren sich stark mit ihrer handwerklichen Tätigkeit. Dabei weisen Beschäftigte im Handwerk eine hohe Arbeitszufriedenheit auf. Die Arbeitszufriedenheit kann in Teilen mit der Ganzheitlichkeit der Arbeit, dem Fokus auf manuelle Tätigkeit, der Wahrnehmung der Sinnhaftigkeit der Tätigkeit sowie einer hohen wahrgenommenen Autonomie in Zusammenhang gebracht werden." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Hartz and Minds: Happiness Effects of Reforming an Employment Agency (2020)
Zitatform
Deter, Max (2020): Hartz and Minds. Happiness Effects of Reforming an Employment Agency. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 1106), Berlin, 34 S.
Abstract
"Since the labor market reforms around 2005, known as the Hartz reforms, Germany has experienced declining unemployment rates. However, little is known about the reforms’ effect on individual life satisfaction of unemployed workers. This study applies difference-in-difference estimations and finds a decrease in life satisfaction after the reforms that is more pronounced for male unemployed in west Germany. The effect is driven by income and income satisfaction, but not by the unemployment rate. Also unemployed persons who exogenously lost their jobs are affected by the reforms. In line with the structure of the reforms, the effect is stronger on long-term and involuntarily unemployed persons." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Regional borders, local unemployment and happiness (2020)
Zitatform
Di Paolo, Antonio & Ada Ferrer-i-Carbonell (2020): Regional borders, local unemployment and happiness. (AQR working paper 2020,06 2020,14), Barcelona, 36 S.
Abstract
"In this paper we provide novel evidence on the effect of local unemployment rate on life satisfaction. We investigate how changes in unemployment rate in local administrative areas affect subjective well-being in Germany, allowing for the presence of spatial spillovers and considering the role played by regional borders. The results indicate that higher unemployment in the own local area of residence has a negative effect on satisfaction. Similarly, individuals' happiness negatively correlates with the unemployment rate in contiguous local areas, but only if these areas are located in the same Federal State as the one where the individual lives. These results are robust to a variety of specifications, definitions, sample restrictions and estimation methods. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that these negative effects of local unemployment rate are larger for individuals with stronger ties to the job market and less secure jobs. This points to worries about own job situation as the main driver of individuals' dislike for living in areas with high unemployment rate and tight labour markets. Consistently with this, the same asymmetric effect of local unemployment rate of surrounding areas is replicated when life satisfaction is replaced with a proxy for perceived job security as outcome variable." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Money and Happiness: Income, Wealth and Subjective Well-Being (2020)
Zitatform
D’Ambrosio, Conchita, Markus Jäntti & Anthony Lepinteur (2020): Money and Happiness: Income, Wealth and Subjective Well-Being. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 148, H. 1, S. 47-66. DOI:10.1007/s11205-019-02186-w
Abstract
"We examine the complex relationship between money and happiness. We find that both permanent income and wealth are better predictors of life satisfaction than current income and wealth. They matter not only in absolute terms but also in comparative terms. However, their relative impacts differ. The first exerts a comparison effect—the higher the permanent income of the reference group, the lower life satisfaction—the second exerts an information effect—the higher the permanent wealth of the reference group, the higher life satisfaction. We also show that negative transitory shocks to income reduce life satisfaction while transitory shocks to wealth have no effect. Lastly, we analyse the effects of their components and find that not all of them predict life satisfaction: permanent taxes do not matter, while only the value of permanent real estate, financial and business assets do. Finally, we use quantile regression and analyse to what extent our results vary along the well-being distribution, finding the impacts to be larger at lower levels of life satisfaction." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Education, income and happiness: panel evidence for the UK (2020)
FitzRoy, Felix R.; Nolan, Michael A.;Zitatform
FitzRoy, Felix R. & Michael A. Nolan (2020): Education, income and happiness: panel evidence for the UK. In: Empirical economics, Jg. 58, H. 5, S. 2573-2592. DOI:10.1007/s00181-018-1586-5
Abstract
"Using panel data from the BHPS and its Understanding Society extension, we study life satisfaction (LS) and income over nearly two decades, for samples split by education, and age, to our knowledge for the first time. The highly educated went from lowest to highest LS, though their average income was always higher. In spite of rapid income growth up to 2008/2009, the less educated showed no rise in LS, while highly educated LS rose after the crash despite declining real income. In panel LS regressions with individual fixed effects, none of the income variables was significant for the highly educated." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Happiness in Hard Times: Does Religion Buffer the Negative Effect of Unemployment on Happiness? (2020)
Hastings, Orestes P.; Roeser, Kassandra K.;Zitatform
Hastings, Orestes P. & Kassandra K. Roeser (2020): Happiness in Hard Times: Does Religion Buffer the Negative Effect of Unemployment on Happiness? In: Social forces, Jg. 99, H. 2, S. 447-473. DOI:10.1093/sf/soaa018
Abstract
"Two well-known findings are that the religious are happier than the non-religious, and people are less happy when they lose their job. We investigate a link between these by asking whether religion buffers against the negative effect of unemployment on happiness. Although theorized or implicitly assumed in many studies, empirical demonstrations of a causal, moderating effect of religion have been infrequent and often not strong methodologically. We conduct individual-level fixed effects models to test for the buffering effect in the US context using recent panel data from the 2006–2014 General Social Surveys. Religious service attendance, belief in life after death, and trying to carry one's religious beliefs over into other dealings in life all substantially buffered the effect of unemployment on happiness. Praying daily, believing God exists, identifying as a religious person, and having a religious affiliation did not. We discuss these results in the context of prior work and existing theory. To further support a causal interpretation of these findings, we also conduct a secondary analysis showing that unemployment does not appear to increase or decrease religiousness. This paper makes an important sociological contribution to the growing field of happiness research and to our understanding of how religion matters to people during hard times." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Langfristige Wirkungen eines nicht abgeschlossenen Studiums auf individuelle Arbeitsmarktergebnisse und die allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit (2020)
Heigle, Julia; Pfeiffer, Friedhelm;Zitatform
Heigle, Julia & Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2020): Langfristige Wirkungen eines nicht abgeschlossenen Studiums auf individuelle Arbeitsmarktergebnisse und die allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit. (ZEW discussion paper 2020-004), Mannheim, 21 S.
Abstract
"To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first study for Germany to assess the long-term impacts of studying without graduating on three labour market outcomes (working hours, wages, and occupational prestige), and on overall life satisfaction, on the basis of a sample of employed individuals from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) who possess a university entrance qualification. The impact is analyzed relative to individuals who have never been enrolled in university study (baseline group) and to individuals that have attained a university degree. The impacts are assessed by means of a double machine learning procedure that accounts for selection into the three educational paths and generates the counterfactual outcomes for the different paths. The findings indicate an average impact of studying without graduating of plus 5 percentage points on occupational prestige, and minus 2.8 percentage points on life satisfaction relative to the baseline group. The estimates for wages and working hours are not significant. The effects of graduating on all outcomes is positive and substantial relative to studying without graduating or not studying at all." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Parental Well-Being in Times of Covid-19 in Germany (2020)
Zitatform
Huebener, Mathias, Sevrin Waights, Stephen P. Jenkins, Nico A. Siegel & Gert G. Wagner (2020): Parental Well-Being in Times of Covid-19 in Germany. (CESifo working paper 8487), München, 39 S.
Abstract
"We examine the differential effects of Covid-19 and related restrictions on individuals with dependent children in Germany. We specifically focus on the role of school and day care center closures, which may be regarded as a “disruptive exogenous shock” to family life. We make use of a novel representative survey of parental well-being collected in May and June 2020 in Germany, when schools and day care centers were closed but while other measures had been relaxed and new infections were low. In our descriptive analysis, we compare well-being during this period with a pre-crisis period for different groups. In a difference-in-differences design, we compare the change for individuals with children to the change for individuals without children, accounting for unrelated trends as well as potential survey mode and context effects. We find that the crisis lowered the relative well-being of individuals with children, especially for individuals with young children, for women, and for persons with lower secondary schooling qualifications. Our results suggest that public policy measures taken to contain Covid-19 can have large effects on family well-being, with implications for child development and parental labor market outcomes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Endogenous selection bias and cumulative inequality over the life course: evidence from educational inequality in subjective well-being (2020)
Zitatform
Kratz, Fabian & Alexander Patzina (2020): Endogenous selection bias and cumulative inequality over the life course. Evidence from educational inequality in subjective well-being. In: European Sociological Review, Jg. 36, H. 3, S. 333-350., 2019-11-07. DOI:10.1093/esr/jcaa003
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." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Life satisfaction of employees, labour market tightness and matching efficiency (2020)
Zitatform
Pedraza, Pablo de, Martin Guzi & Kea Tijdens (2020): Life satisfaction of employees, labour market tightness and matching efficiency. (IZA discussion paper 12961), Bonn, 24 S.
Abstract
"Di Tella et al. (2001) show that temporary fluctuations in life satisfaction (LS) are correlated with macroeconomic circumstances such as gross domestic product, unemployment, and inflation. In this paper, we bring attention to labour market measures from search and matching models (Pissarides 2000). Our analysis follows the two-stage estimation strategy used in Di Tella et al. (2001) to explore sectoral unemployment levels, labour market tightness, and matching efficiency as LS determinants. In the first stage, we use a large sample of individual data collected from a continuous web survey during the 2007-2014 period in the Netherlands to obtain regression-adjusted measures of LS by quarter and economic sector. In the second-stage, we regress LS measures against the unemployment level, labour market tightness, and matching efficiency. Our results are threefold. First, the negative link between unemployment and an employee’s LS is confirmed at the sectoral level. Second, labour market tightness, measured as the number of vacancies per jobseeker rather than the number of vacancies per unemployed, is shown to be relevant to the LS of workers. Third, labour market matching efficiency affects the LS of workers differently when they are less satisfied with their job and in temporary employment. No evidence of this relationship has been documented before Our results give support to government interventions aimed at activating demand for labour, improving the matching of job-seekers to vacant jobs, and reducing information frictions by supporting matchmaking technologies." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Temps dip deeper: Temporary employment and the midlife nadir in human well-being (2020)
Piper, Alan;Zitatform
Piper, Alan (2020): Temps dip deeper: Temporary employment and the midlife nadir in human well-being. (SOEPpapers on multidisciplinary panel data research at DIW Berlin 1109), Berlin, 28 S.
Abstract
"Temporary employees rank lower than permanent employees on various measures of mental and physical health, including well-being. In parallel, much research has shown that the relationship between age and well-being traces an approximate U-shape, with a nadir in midlife. Temporary employment may well have different associations with well-being across the lifespan, likely harming people in midlife more than at the start of their working lives. Using over twenty years of the German Socio-economic panel (SOEP), this investigation considers the relationship between temporary employment, age and well-being. In doing so, it both sheds new light on the relationship between temporary employment and well-being, and explores a reason for the oft-found U-shaped relationship between age and well-being. The results show that temporary employment deepens the U-shape in midlife, and that this result holds when many socioeconomic factors as well as the industry, region, cohort, personality, employment security and job worries are taken into account. Furthermore, the investigation considers transitions between permanent and temporary employment and uses these to assess causation and selection." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Balancing flexibility and security in Europe? The impact of unemployment on young peoples' subjective well-being (2020)
Russell, Helen; Leschke, Janine; Smith, Mark;Zitatform
Russell, Helen, Janine Leschke & Mark Smith (2020): Balancing flexibility and security in Europe? The impact of unemployment on young peoples' subjective well-being. In: European journal of industrial relations, Jg. 26, H. 3, S. 243-261. DOI:10.1177/0959680119840570
Abstract
"We examine the relationship between 'flexicurity' systems, unemployment and well-being outcomes for young people in Europe. A key tenet of the flexicurity approach is that greater flexibility of labour supply supports transitions into employment, trading longer-term employment stability for short-term job instability. However, there is a risk that young people experience greater job insecurity, both objective and subjective, with less stable contracts and more frequent unemployment spells. Our research draws on data from the European Social Survey and uses multi-level models to explore whether and how flexibility-security arrangements moderate the effect of past and present unemployment on the well-being of young people. We distinguish between flexibility-security institutions that foster improved job prospects and those that provide financial security." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Men Lose Life Satisfaction with Fewer Hours in Employment: Mothers Do Not Profit from Longer Employment: Evidence from Eight Panels (2020)
Zitatform
Schröder, Martin (2020): Men Lose Life Satisfaction with Fewer Hours in Employment: Mothers Do Not Profit from Longer Employment. Evidence from Eight Panels. In: Social indicators research, Jg. 152, H. 1, S. 317-334. DOI:10.1007/s11205-020-02433-5
Abstract
"This article uses random and fixed effects regressions with 743,788 observations from panels of East and West Germany, the UK, Australia, South Korea, Russia, Switzerland and the United States. It shows how the life satisfaction of men and especially fathers in these countries increases steeply with paid working hours. In contrast, the life satisfaction of childless women is less related to long working hours, while the life satisfaction of mothers hardly depends on working hours at all. In addition, women and especially mothers are more satisfied with life when their male partners work longer, while the life satisfaction of men hardly depend on their female partners' work hours. These differences between men and women are starker where gender attitudes are more traditional. They cannot be explained through differences in income, occupations, partner characteristics, period or cohort effects. These results contradict role expansionist theory, which suggests that men and women profit similarly from moderate work hours; they support role conflict theory, which claims that men are most satisfied with longer and women with shorter work hours." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Springer-Verlag) ((en))