En juin, nous avons parlé de travail. Cela fait longtemps que nous voulions cartographier la satisfaction dans la vie et le bien-être au travail en fonction des catégories socio-professionnelles. Nous avons enfin publié le premier volet de ce chantier, qui met en évidence un surplus de satisfaction dans les métiers de la fonction publique, particulièrement les agents de Catégorie A et assimilés, mais aussi un mal-être ouvrier. Dans le même temps, Claudia Senik a dirigé pour la Fondation des sciences sociales un ouvrage pluridisciplinaire faisant le bilan du passage massif au télétravail ces dernières années.

Comme chaque année, nous ferons une pause estivale en août. Rendez-vous début septembre !

Observatoire

Le travail à distance, défis, enjeux et limites

Pour la Fondation des Sciences Sociales, Claudia Senik a dirigé cette année un ouvrage pluridisciplinaire consacré au travail à distance.

L’ un des principaux héritages de la pandémie de covid-19 est certainement l’extension des interactions fondées sur les technologies numériques de l’information, en particulier le travail à distance. Dans la plupart des pays, la situation a imposé un recours massif au télétravail pour tous ceux qui le pouvaient. Ce choc a accéléré une évolution ancienne, mais lente et inégale, alimentée par la numérisation de l’économie, permettant à certains de travailler en dehors des locaux de l’entreprise, à domicile ou ailleurs. Le télétravail, au moins partiel, est entré dans les mœurs et pourrait concerner aujourd’hui près de la moitié des emplois dans les pays développés.

Après deux cents ans de séparation, le retour au domicile de l’activité économique soulève d’importants défis juridiques. Il est aussi porteur d’interrogations quant aux effets sur le bien-être des travailleurs : liberté accrue ou désocialisation, facteur d’innovation et de coopération renforcée ? Quelles sont les limites à l’extension du travail à distance ? A-t-il touché différemment les hommes et les femmes ? Les travaux réunis dans cet ouvrage, issus de différentes disciplines des sciences humaines et sociales, apportent des éclairages inédits sur ces questions.

Claudia Senik, Le travail à distance, défis, enjeux et limites (Paris: La Découverte / Fondation pour les sciences sociales, 2023), https://www.editionsladecouverte.fr/le_travail_a_distance-9782348079481.

Plus qu’un travail

Dans la société française, le travail peut apporter plus qu’un salaire : à certaines professions sont associés un statut, une considération sociale, tandis que d’autres sont stigmatisées. Au-delà de la relation purement marchande liant travail et salaire, nous observons ainsi des décalages systématiques entre le salaire d’une part et la satisfaction dans la vie ou la satisfaction au travail d’autre part.

Mathieu Perona, « Plus qu’un travail », Notes de l’Observatoire du bien-être (Paris: CEPREMAP, 8 juin 2023), https://www.cepremap.fr/2023/06/note-de-lobservatoire-du-bien-etre-n2023-09-plus-quun-travail/.

Lu sur le web

Does teacher subjective well-being influence students’ learning achievement? Evidence from public basic education in Peru

Abstract: We estimate the influence of teacher subjective well-being (TSWB) on the mathematics learning achievement of public-school students in Peru. Using the National Teacher Survey and the Census Student Assessment, after exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis we identify three dimensions of TSWB: i) workplace relationships, ii) working conditions, and iii) living conditions. We estimate instrumental variables and perform quantile regressions to disentangle the relationship between TSWB and students’ learning outcomes. Our results show that TSWB has an inverted U-shaped influence on test scores, suggesting the presence of the “too-much-of-a-good-thing effect”, and therefore the existence of an optimal threshold after which its effect becomes detrimental. Workplace relationships appear to be the most influential TSWB factor on students’ academic achievement.

José María Rentería et Dante Solano, « Does teacher subjective well-being influence students’ learning achievement? Evidence from public basic education in Peru », Working Paper (Peruvian Economic Association, décembre 2022), https://econpapers.repec.org/paper/apcwpaper/190.htm.

À l’hôpital, une prévalence accrue de la dépression et de l’anxiété due notamment aux conditions de travail

Résumé : La Direction de la recherche, de l’évaluation, des études et des statistiques (DREES) publie une étude sur la santé mentale des personnels hospitaliers à l’été 2021 et la compare à celle de l’ensemble de la population en emploi. À partir des données de l’enquête Épidémiologie et Conditions de vie liées au Covid-19 (EpiCov), cette étude met en perspective la fréquence des symptômes de dépression ou d’anxiété ou encore le besoin de prise en charge psychologique parmi les personnes travaillant à l’hôpital au regard des symptômes déclarés parmi l’ensemble des personnes en emploi. Les constats observés sont mis en relation avec les conditions de travail et les caractéristiques sociodémographiques du personnel de l’hôpital.

Camille Parent, « À l’hôpital, une prévalence accrue de la dépression et de l’anxiété due notamment aux conditions de travail », Études et résultats (Paris: Direction de la recherche, des études, de l’évaluation et des statistiques, 8 juin 2023), https://drees.solidarites-sante.gouv.fr/publications-communique-de-presse/etudes-et-resultats/lhopital-une-prevalence-accrue-de-la.

The economics of free speech: Subjective wellbeing and empowerment of marginalized citizens

Abstract: We analyse whether people value free speech differently depending on their resources (income or education levels). Our analysis includes both stated preferences towards free speech and the realized relationship of free speech with people’s subjective wellbeing. In each case, we test whether free speech is a ‘luxury good’ valued more highly by high-income earners and the well-educated, or a ‘necessary good’ valued more highly by those with fewer resources. The analysis uses two population survey datasets (World Values Survey and Latino Barometer) and two datasets covering country-level free speech and human rights measures (CIRIGHTS and VDEM). The analyses control for country and wave fixed effects, personal and macroeconomic factors, and for other human rights. We find that, when surveyed, individuals with greater resources place greater stated priority on freedom of speech, but it is individuals with fewer resources who realize the greatest benefits from free speech.

Diana Voerman-Tam, Arthur Grimes, et Nicholas Watson, « The Economics of Free Speech: Subjective Wellbeing and Empowerment of Marginalized Citizens », Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 212 (1 août 2023): 260‑74, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2023.05.047.

Having a Partner or Living with a Partner: Differences in Life Satisfaction and Mental Health

Abstract: Using longitudinal data from Australia we compare the wellbeing effects of transitions both into and out relationships, using two different measures of wellbeing: life satisfaction and mental health. We distinguish between the formation, and ending of, three different types of relationships across three years: Living-apart-together (LAT), cohabitations, and marriages. For those in LAT relationships, we find they are quite distinct from other ‘single’ people. Starting, or ending, a LAT relationship has a significant impact on an individual’s wellbeing. We also find that transitions into relationships, and transitions out of relationships, do not have equivalent effects. Generally, moving from a relationship to being single had a more significant negative impact on life satisfaction and mental health, than moving into a relationship had a positive impact. These findings suggest that having an intimate partner, even one who is not co-resident, is related to higher levels of wellbeing compared to having no partner.

Ann Evans, Edith Gray, et Anna Reimondos, « Having a Partner or Living with a Partner: Differences in Life Satisfaction and Mental Health », Applied Research in Quality of Life, 7 juin 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-023-10186-9.

Premiers résultats de l’étude Enabee sur le bien-être et la santé mentale des enfants de 6 à 11 ans en France métropolitaine

Points Clef : Indicateurs clés chez les enfants de 6 à 11 ans scolarisés du CP au CM21 ^:

• 13,0 % (Intervalle de confiance à 95 % : 12,1-14,0) des enfants de 6 à 11 ans présentent un trouble probable de santé mentale.
• 5,6 % (IC 95 % : 5,0-6,2) des enfants de 6 à 11 ans présentent un trouble émotionnel probable.
• 6,6 % (IC 95 % : 5,9-7,3) des enfants 6 à 11 ans présentent un trouble oppositionnel probable.
• 3,2 % (IC 95 % : 2,7-3,7) des enfants 6 à 11 ans présentent un trouble de déficit de l’attention avec ou sans hyperactivité (TDAH) probable.
• 71,0 / 100 (IC 95 % : 70,7-71,3) est le score de niveau de bien-être et qualité de vie en lien avec la santé déclarée par les enfants de 6 à 11 ans.

La prévalence du trouble émotionnel probable est plus élevée chez les filles. À l’inverse, les prévalences des troubles du comportement (TDAH et trouble oppositionnel) sont plus élevées chez les garçons.

Santé Publique France, « Premiers résultats de l’étude Enabee sur le bien-être et la santé mentale des enfants de 6 à 11 ans en France métropolitaine », Le point sur… (Paris: Santé Publique France, 20 juin 2023), https://www.santepubliquefrance.fr/etudes-et-enquetes/enabee-etude-nationale-sur-le-bien-etre-des-enfants/documents/premiers-resultats-de-l-etude-enabee-sur-le-bien-etre-et-la-sante-mentale-des-enfants-de-6-a-11-ans-en-france-metropolitaine.

The welfare state and the roles of social capital in subjective well-being: The crowding-out and crowding-in arguments revisited

Abstract: In international comparative research, significant advances have been made in the study of the effect of social capital and the welfare state on subjective well-being (SWB). However, few studies have examined how the welfare state influences the impact of social capital on SWB. To fill this gap, from the perspectives of the crowding-out and crowding-in hypotheses, this study explores whether welfare provisions alter the role of three dimensions of social capital – namely, social trust, formal social contact, and informal social contact, in SWB. The present study utilises international comparative data from nine waves of the European Social Survey of 2002 to 2019 and a two-way fixed-effects model to evaluate the cross-level interaction effects of welfare provisions and the three dimensions of social capital on SWB. This analysis reveals that welfare spending strengthens the positive association between social capital and SWB.

Naoki Akaeda, « The welfare state and the roles of social capital in subjective well-being: The crowding-out and crowding-in arguments revisited », Journal of Social Policy, 29 mai 2023, 1‑20, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279423000223.

The relationship between subjective well-being in school and children’s participation rights: international evidence from the Children’s Worlds survey

Abstract: This paper considers the relationship between children’s subjective well-being at school and the fulfillment of their participation rights. Our research focuses on the association between children’s involvement in decision-making in school and their subjective well-being (SWB) using international evidence from the Children’s Worlds survey. The analysis uses data from the third sweep of the Children’s Worlds survey collected from 12-year-olds within 13 EU and former EU countries. We focus on the school in response for calls for more domain-specific analysis of children’s SWB, and in light of the considerable amount of time children spend in school and the compulsory nature of schooling. We identify an association between subjective well-being and participation in decision-making at school, across all countries included in this study, except Malta. The paper also finds that relationships with teachers and other peers (as measured by bullying) also impact upon children’s school-based SWB.

Rhian Mari Barrance et Jennifer May Hampton, « The Relationship between Subjective Well-Being in School and Children’s Participation Rights: International Evidence from the Children’s Worlds Survey », Children and Youth Services Review 151 (1 août 2023): 107038, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107038.

State Contexts, Job Insecurity, and Subjective Well-being in the Time of COVID-19

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has had far-reaching economic and psychological consequences beyond its direct influence on population health. Guided by stress process theory, we theorize a cross-level amplified stress proliferation process. That is, macro-level epidemiological, economic, and policy shocks proliferate into individual-level perceived job insecurity, which in turn deteriorates subjective well-being; macro-level shocks may additionally amplify the well-being risk of insecurity. To test these propositions, we use fixed-effects models to analyze three-wave, nationally representative data on 1,306 U.S. workers (May 2020–June 2021). Living in states with growing COVID-19 rates, rising unemployment rates, or increasingly stringent containment policies heightens workers’ perceived job insecurity, which in turn predicts reduced mental health and life satisfaction. Additionally, workers livings in states with growing COVID-19 rates or increasingly stringent containment policies are particularly susceptible to the mental health cost of increased job insecurity. Combined, this research demonstrates the exposure and vulnerability mechanisms through which state environments shape well-being.

Wen Fan et Yue Qian, « State Contexts, Job Insecurity, and Subjective Well-Being in the Time of COVID-19 », Journal of Happiness Studies, 20 juin 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00669-9.

The female-breadwinner well-being ‘penalty’: differences by men’s (un)employment and country

Abstract: This article examines the relationship between female breadwinning and life satisfaction in heterosexual couples. We extend previous research by treating the man’s employment status as a variable that helps to explain rather than confounds this relationship, and by comparing multiple countries through regression analyses of European Social Survey data (Rounds 2–9). Results provide evidence of a female-breadwinner well-being ‘penalty’: men and women are less satisfied with their lives under the female-breadwinner arrangement versus the dual-earner and male-breadwinner alternatives. The penalty is marginal when the male partner is part-time employed but sizeable when he is jobless. However, there are gender differences: after controls for composition, gender-role attitudes, and partners’ relative incomes, the penalty becomes negligible for women while remaining large for men. Analyses suggest these gender differences are linked to high male unemployment among female-breadwinner couples: whereas women appear roughly equally adversely affected by a male partner’s unemployment as by their own, men report substantially higher well-being when she is unemployed instead of him. Country comparisons indicate that while this female-breadwinner well-being penalty is largest in more conservative contexts, especially Germany, it is fairly universal across Europe. So, even in countries where women’s employment is more widespread and cultural and institutional support for the male-breadwinner model is weaker, unemployed men with breadwinner wives are not immune from the social stigma and psychological difficulties associated with their gender non-conformity.

Helen Kowalewska et Agnese Vitali, « The female-breadwinner well-being ‘penalty’: differences by men’s (un)employment and country », European Sociological Review, 5 juin 2023, jcad034, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcad034.

The persistence of cognitive biases in financial decisions across economic groups

Abstract: While economic inequality continues to rise within countries, efforts to address it have been largely ineffective, particularly those involving behavioral approaches. It is often implied but not tested that choice patterns among low-income individuals may be a factor impeding behavioral interventions aimed at improving upward economic mobility. To test this, we assessed rates of ten cognitive biases across nearly 5000 participants from 27 countries. Our analyses were primarily focused on 1458 individuals that were either low-income adults or individuals who grew up in disadvantaged households but had above-average financial well-being as adults, known as positive deviants. Using discrete and complex models, we find evidence of no differences within or between groups or countries. We therefore conclude that choices impeded by cognitive biases alone cannot explain why some individuals do not experience upward economic mobility. Policies must combine both behavioral and structural interventions to improve financial well-being across populations.

Kai Ruggeri et al., « The Persistence of Cognitive Biases in Financial Decisions across Economic Groups », Scientific Reports 13, n^o 1 (26 juin 2023): 10329, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36339-2.