Youth life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-national comparison

Abstract

"The objective of this paper was to explore differences in youth life satisfaction across and within countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite data limitations, this study provided new insights and a basis for future studies. A central finding was the flattening, or even the reversal, of the U-shaped age pattern in life satisfaction in some countries. Life satisfaction seems to have declined to a greater extent among youth aged 15 to 30 years than among people aged 31 to 60 years. This suggests that there were generalized vulnerabilities among youth to pandemic-related hardships. However, there were substantial cross-country differences in the changes in life satisfaction among youth. In Canada, reports of low life satisfaction were comparatively uncommon, with minor changes over 2020 and 2021, the pandemic years. This contrasts with patterns in Ireland and, to some extent, in the United Kingdom, where there were steep increases in the proportion of youth with low life satisfaction. Further reading (see below) illuminates some of the underlying mechanisms within the context of four countries and provides direction for future research." (Text excerpt, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Henseke, G., Schoon, I., Schimmele, C., Arim, R., Dietrich, H., Aisling, M., Smyth, E. & Dupéré, V. (2022): Youth life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-national comparison. In: Economic and Social Reports / Statistics Canada, Vol. 2, No. 11, p. 1-7. DOI:10.25318/36280001202201100002-eng