Cette édition de notre lettre d’information reflète un mois de mars particulièrement riche dans notre domaine. Dans notre dernière Note, Miren Lafourcade souligne l’hétérogénéité des trajectoires des villes françaises dans l’adoption du télétravail durant la pandémie, puis dans le passage à un télétravail plus régulier. Nous avons aussi participé à la journée New Frontiers in Wellbeing Measurement, organisée par l’OCDE, dont nous vous livrons ici quelques notes, avant de passer à une sélection d’articles et de rapports particulièrement variée ce mois-ci.
Observatoire
Télétravail et géographie des villes
Les grandes métropoles sont sources de nombreux avantages pour les citadins, qui y ont accès à de meilleures opportunités d’emploi, de plus hauts salaires, un plus large éventail de biens et services, dans des domaines aussi divers que l’éducation, les transports, la santé, la gastronomie ou la culture. La pandémie de Covid-19 a restreint, de manière temporaire mais brutale, ces économies d’agglomération, en rendant plus prégnants les coûts de la vie urbaine : logements chers, exigus et surpeuplés, risques épidémiques accrus, très grande pauvreté, fragilité et détresse de certains habitants. La pandémie n’a pas seulement perturbé les avantages de la vie urbaine, elle a également bouleversé le fonctionnement des marchés du travail et du logement. Le recours accru au travail à domicile a permis de libérer certains citadins de la nécessité de se déplacer chaque jour pour travailler, et leur a offert la possibilité de résider plus loin de leur entreprise. L’essor du télétravail a rapidement alimenté la rumeur d’un tout nouvel exode urbain, mais qui reste difficile à confirmer dans les faits, le travail à domicile s’essoufflant depuis peu. L’objectif de cette note est d’analyser l’impact du télétravail sur la géographie des villes et l’arbitrage fondamental opéré par les ménages et les entreprises entre les bénéfices et les coûts urbains.
Lafourcade, M. (2024). Télétravail et géographie des villes (2024‑02; Notes de l’Observatoire du bien-être, p. 10). CEPREMAP. https://www.cepremap.fr/2024/03/note-de-lobservatoire-du-bien-etre-n2024-01-teletravail-et-geographie-des-villes/
New Frontiers in Well-Being Measurement : Quelques notes
Le 04 mars dernier, l’OCDE a organisé une journée consacrée aux nouveaux enjeux de la mesure du bien-être subjectif. Elle s’inscrit dans la perspective d’une remise à jour en 2025 des Guidelines on measuring subjective wellbeing de 2013. Les enregistrements et supports sont disponibles (ou le seront bientôt) sur le site du centre WISE de l’OCDE. Les échanges, très riches, ont porté notamment sur l’évolution des mesures du bien-être émotionnel, sur une plus grande attention portée au sentiment de sens, sur la mesure du bien-êytre des enfants et adolescents, et sur l’intégration de perspectives non-occidentales dans les instruments de mesure. Nous listons ci-dessous quelques points saillants, avec des références que nous avons relevées au vol.
Sur le volet de l’affect, Arthur Stone a souligné l’intérêt qu’il y aurait à intégrer une évaluation subjective de la douleur ressentie, en particulier à la lumière de la crise des opioïdes aux États-Unis, qui met en lumière des inégalités croissantes dans l’exposition aux douleurs chroniques. L’opportunité, voire la nécessité de se doter de mesures publiques de la douleur, a constitué le cœur de l’intervention de Lucía Macchia.
Case, A., Deaton, A., & Stone, A. A. (2020). Decoding the mystery of American pain reveals a warning for the future. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(40), 24785‑24789. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012350117
Macchia, L. (2023). Governments should measure pain when assessing societal wellbeing. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(3), 303‑305. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01539-3
Dans le même domaine Conal Smith a présenté des recherches récentes utilisant les mesures de bien-être émotionnel plutôt que de satisfaction dans la vie comme base de calcul d’un équivalent-revenu d’activités ponctuelles, comme une promenade dans la nature, dont l’impact sur la satisfaction dans la vie est difficile à isoler.
Krekel, C., & MacKerron, G. (2023). Back to Edgeworth? Estimating the value of time using hedonic experiences. CEP Discussion Papers, Article dp1932. https://ideas.repec.org//p/cep/cepdps/dp1932.html
Smith, C. (2023). Experienced wellbeing, income, and measurement of the value of non-market outcomes. [Thesis, Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington]. https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.24240040
La session sur le sentiment de sens réunissait Carol Ryff, Carol Graham et Nancy Hey. Elles ont montré comment le sentiment de sens de ce qu’on fait dans sa vie est associé à une réduction générale des risques de maladie (physique et mentale) ainsi que de perte d’autonomie, y compris à des niveaux épigénétiques. Or, on observe aux US une polarisation croissante du sentiment de sens, au détriment des classes sociales déjà les moins favorisées. Ce constat rejoint largement les travaux de C. Graham, qui ont montré l’association forte entre l’espoir dans un avenir meilleur et les comportements d’investissement dans l’avenir : formation, éducation des enfants, activité physique et comportements alimentaires. Ces travaux rejoingnent également ceux sur la douleur, puisque l’écart en termes d’espoir frappe particulièrement aux États-Unis les populations pauvres blanches, qui fournissent de nombreux électeurs à D. Trump (un faible niveau d’espoir est aussi associé à une plus grande perméabilité aux fausses informations), mais beaucoup moins les populations noires, pourtant aussi mal voire plus mal loties matériellement. Sur le versant positif, l’espoir dans un avenir meilleur est une conviction susceptible d’être nourrie et cultivées par des interventions bien conçues, dont Nancy Hey a donné plusieurs exemples. Nous relevons en particulier que les interventions donnant aux personnes plus d’autonomie et de pouvoir de décision (et les ressources qui vont avec) sont susceptibles de favoriser le sentiment de sens même dans des professions déjà bien positionnées dans cette dimension, comme les métiers du soin ou de l’enseignement.
La session sur la mesure du bien-être des enfants et adolescents a souligné en premier lieu la capacité des enfants à répondre, dès un jeune âge, à des questions de bien-être adaptées. Toutefois, a insisté Sabrina Twilhaar, la comparabilité d’un pays à l’autre est très limitée en ce qui concerne le bien-être émotionnel, en partie à cause d’attente différentes selon les pays, en termes d’autonomie des enfants par exemple. Gwynther Rees a relevé que le classement des pays en fonction du bien-être des adolescents ne reflétait que très partiellement le classement selon le bien-être des adultes, un point que nous avions relevé en 2021 sur notre carnet dans le cas de l’Europe. Il a également relevé une corrélation assez faible entre la satisfaction d’ensemble des adolescents et celle portant sur des domaines spécifiques (écoles, familles, amis). Sur données françaises, nous observons de même un lien assez faible entre domaine et de chaque domaine à la satisfaction générale. Sur la base de l’enquête Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children, Oddrun Samdal a documenté des trajectoires de bien-être et d’estime de soi qui divergent selon le genre entre 11 et 15 ans, avec en particulier un écart de plus en plus marqué sur la déclarations de problèmes de santé multiples, plus fréquents chez les jeunes femmes. Enfin, Anna Viser a confirmé, sur la base de programmes en Irlande, l’existence d’effets de cicatrice de la pauvreté, une expérience même transitoire de la pauvreté conduisant à une estime de soi et une maîtrise émotionnelle plus faibles toutes choses égales par ailleurs. Elle a également insisté sur la nécessité de poser des question à hauteur d’enfant ou d’adolescent, afin d’avoir des réponses qui ont du sens. Ainsi, elle relève que la satisfaction quant à la relation avec les parents se dégrade en Irlande parmi les adolescents issus de milieux favorisés, mais pas chez ceux issus de milieux plus modestes, et que le temps passé à jouer aux jeux vidéos décroit depuis une décennie, obligeant à faire des distinctions plus fines dans l’allocation du temps passé par les adolescents devant des écrans.
De la session sur les indicateurs de bien-être par domaine, nous retenons l’intérêt partagé pour une approche en tableau de bord, la satisfaction dans la vie ne donnant qu’une image partielle. Nous en avons donné récemment une illustration en montrant que la relation avec l’âge est très différente selon l’aspect du bien-être considéré. Cela plaide pour l’inclusion d’une pluralité d’indicateurs dans une perspective du tableau de bord, à l’image du Report on equitable and sustainable well-being (Bes) italien, qui mériterait à notre sens un véritable équivalent en France (voire au niveau auropéen).
De la dernière session, dédiée aux approches non-occidentales du bien-être, nous retenons en particulier l’expérience néo-zélandaise. Dans le cadre d’un tabelau de bord du bien-être national, l’Institut statistique néo-zélandais a entamé un dialogue approfondi avec les communautés Māori sur leur manière d’évaluer leur bien-être. Un questionnaire dédé a été développé, avec par exemple une évaluation de la satisfaction à l’égard des relations avec le whānau, un concept de famille élargie non seulement aux collatéraux, mais aussi à la famille de coeur. Ce dialogue a conduit à l’introduction dans l’enquête générale de questions sur le même thème ainsi que sur la relation à l’environnement. De l’intervention de Shigehiro Oishi, nous retenons le constat de contrastes significatifs entre pays sur le niveau de bonheur jugé comme souhaitable. L’objectif de maximisation du bonheur individuel apparaît alors comme un marqueur des sociétés dites WEIRD (Western, educated, industrial, rich, and democratic), ce qui peut conduire à des biais de déclaration dans d’autres zones, comme l’Amérique du Sud ou l’Asie de l’Est.
Krys, K., Kostoula, O., van Tilburg, W. A. P., Mosca, O., Lee, J. H., Maricchiolo, F., Kosiarczyk, A., Kocimska-Bortnowska, A., Torres, C., Hitokoto, H., Liew, K., Bond, M. H., Lun, V. M.-C., Vignoles, V. L., Zelenski, J. M., Haas, B. W., Park, J., Vauclair, C.-M., Kwiatkowska, A., … Uchida, Y. (2024). Happiness Maximization Is a WEIRD Way of Living. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17456916231208367. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916231208367
World Happiness Report 2024
Le 20 mars dernier a été dévoilée l’édition 2024 sur World Happiness Report. Outre l’habituel classement des pays selon la sastisfaction dans la vie moyenne, cette édition s’intéresse particulièrement à la relation entre bien-être et âge. Elle souligne des profils très contrastés selon les pays, l’Europe de l’Ouest et les États-Unis étant marqués par une dégradation du bien-être des jeunes générations.
Helliwell, J. F., Sachs, J. D., Layard, R., De Neve, J.-E., Aknin, L. B., & Wang, S. (s. d.). World Happiness Report 2024. University of Oxford: Wellbeing Research Centre. https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2024/
Sur le web
Qualité de l’emploi : une question de métiers ?
Résumé : La baisse du chômage ces dernières années et les tensions sur le marché du travail ont mis en lumière l’importance du lien entre qualité de l’emploi et attractivité des métiers. Déjà la crise sanitaire avait joué un rôle de révélateur avec les métiers « essentiels ». Mais comment mesurer cette qualité de l’emploi à l’échelle des métiers ? Dans la continuité de la mission récente sur les travailleurs de la « deuxième ligne », cette note bâtit une typologie en six groupes de métiers selon leur configuration de qualité de l’emploi, en fonction de scores obtenus pour une série d’indicateurs − salaires, conditions d’emploi, conditions de travail, horaires, perspectives de carrière, représentation collective.
Donne, V., Acher, E., & Erhel, C. (2023). Qualité de l’emploi : Une question de métiers ? (130; Note d’analyse). France Stratégie. https://www.strategie.gouv.fr/publications/qualite-de-lemploi-une-question-de-metiers
Diriger un établissement scolaire à l’ère post-Covid : des risques psychosociaux qui persistent
Pour The Conversation, Marie-Noël Vercambre-Jacquot présente les résultats issus du dernier Baromètre I-BEST et portant sur la satisfaction des personnel de direction des établissement scolaires. Ce comparatif international relève que les personnels de direction en France souffrent plus du stress, d’un moindre sentinement de soutien, et ont l’impression d’être peu valorisés, tant par leur hiérarchie que par la société en général. Face à un salaire en berne, et des possibilités de formation et d’évolution faibles, seulement la moitié des répondants choisiraient le même métier si c’était à refaire — contre plus de 70% en Espagne.
Vercambre-Jacquot, M.-N. (2024, mars 4). Diriger un établissement scolaire à l’ère post-Covid : Des risques psychosociaux qui persistent. The Conversation. http://theconversation.com/diriger-un-etablissement-scolaire-a-lere-post-covid-des-risques-psychosociaux-qui-persistent-224454
Parité : affranchir les hommes du modèle « monsieur gagne-pain, madame gagne-petit »
Résumé : Les enjeux de parité reviennent souvent sur le devant de la scène, qu’il s’agisse d’évoquer les doubles journées des mères de famille, les inégalités salariales, ou le plafond de verre qui empêche les femmes d’accéder à des postes à responsabilité. La parité est moins souvent abordée en évoquant la situation des hommes. L’étude du CRÉDOC montre que les hommes sont eux aussi restreints dans leurs choix de vie par les normes sociales. L’opinion qu’ils doivent « toujours travailler » lorsqu’ils ont des enfants en bas âge pour garantir un revenu au foyer est encore très présente, et particulièrement intériorisée par un jeune homme sur cinq. Le modèle « monsieur gagne-pain » et « madame gagne-petit » a encore de beaux jours devant lui. Les jeunes hommes valorisent en effet les emplois avec de fortes responsabilités et de hauts niveaux de salaire, quitte à avoir moins de temps libre. Si la route vers la parité est encore longue, beaucoup de démarches ont été entreprises pour que les stéréotypes liés aux femmes évoluent. Les données du CRÉDOC mettent en lumière l’importance à faire évoluer aussi ceux autour des hommes pour une société avec davantage de fluidité et de liberté dans les rôles femmes-hommes, levier au bien-être ainsi qu’au développement économique et démographique.
Hoibian, S. (2024). Parité : Affranchir les hommes du modèle « monsieur gagne-pain, madame gagne-petit » (CMV333; Consommation & Modes de Vie, p. 4). Crédoc. https://www.credoc.fr/publications/parite-affranchir-les-hommes-du-modele-monsieur-gagne-pain-madame-gagne-petit
Housing and urban-rural differences in subjective wellbeing in the Netherlands
Abstract: Although more and more people choose to live in cities, subjective wellbeing (SWB) is generally lower in large urban areas in the Western world. This article examines to what extent urban-rural differences in SWB are driven by differences in the quality and affordability of housing between the largest cities and periurban and rural areas. Using a Dutch panel database, linking characteristics of housing to SWB, we show that differences in housing tenure, housing and neighbourhood quality and housing affordability can partly explain the urban-rural SWB differential in the Netherlands.
Hoogerbrugge, M., & Burger, M. J. (2024). Housing and urban-rural differences in subjective wellbeing in the Netherlands. In Spatial Inequalities and Wellbeing (p. 97‑118). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781802202632/book-part-9781802202632-9.xml
Does tackling the sustainable development goals lead to life satisfaction?
Abstract: This study aims to determine whether life satisfaction is influenced by the level of achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the development of individual capabilities through adequate levels of financial well-being and health. To this end, the analysis uses data from the World Values Survey (WVS) on 80,174 individuals nested in 53 countries. For the cross-country analysis, a multilevel regression with fixed effects was used, analysing levels of life satisfaction in 53 countries around the world. It should be emphasised that the dependent variable and the independent variables at the individual level were measured by a survey using the Likert scale to assess people’s opinions and self-assessments. The SDG indicators were assessed through an overall score based on countries’ progress on each analytical theme, which can be interpreted as the percentage of progress on these goals across countries. The model is constructed step by step, starting with a null model without covariates, followed by models with individual covariates, and finally with macroeconomic level variables (SDGs). It is also reiterated that the model fit is assessed using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). The final model shows a strong and significant relationship between the SDG indicators and the level of satisfaction of the analysed global population, demonstrating that satisfaction is not only related to social conditions, but also has a strong relationship with environmental factors such as energy use (SDG 7) and measures for water and air quality (SDG 6 and 13, respectively). The study also finds that individual level variables significantly affect life satisfaction. Age and education increase life satisfaction, while gender decreases it. It can be concluded that the results are applicable at the individual level and can provide valuable insights for targeted policies and interventions in the areas of financial well-being, health and achieving the SDGs. However, it should be emphasised that the findings can be generalised to a certain extent to contexts similar to those of the countries included in the sample, especially those with comparable socio-economic characteristics.
da Silva, F.R., De Paula, T.M., Gerhard, F. et al. Does tackling the sustainable development goals lead to life satisfaction?. Environ Dev Sustain (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04640-3
Which predicts longevity better: Satisfaction with life or purpose in life?
Abstract: Life satisfaction and purpose in life are fundamental yet separate ways to evaluate one’s life. Both positively predict physical health and longevity, making them key factors for length and quality of life. However, we do not know which of them predicts mortality, when controlling for the influence of each other. Given that purpose in life involves a more active engagement with life and can help to cope with suffering, we hypothesize that purpose in life could be a more direct prospective predictor of longevity, overshadowing any effect of life satisfaction, when the two are pitted against each other as prospective predictors of longevity. To examine these hypotheses, we utilized Midlife in the U.S. survey, which is a 23-year follow-up study, (N = 5,993) and Cox proportional hazards models, repeating the analyses both without covariates and when controlling for various demographic and health-related variables. We show that both life satisfaction and purpose in life predict mortality when modeled separately. When life satisfaction, purpose in life and self-rated health were entered as simultaneous predictors of mortality, purpose in life remained a slightly more robust predictor of mortality, while life satisfaction became only marginally significant, suggesting that some of the factors that connect it to mortality are covered by the other two subjective evaluations. Overall, the results demonstrate that purpose in life is a robust predictor of mortality, and thus a key dimension of well-being to attend to as people age, while the predictive power of life satisfaction is more dependent on the choice of covariates.
Martela, F., Laitinen, E., & Hakulinen, C. (2024). Which predicts longevity better: Satisfaction with life or purpose in life? Psychology and Aging. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000802
Comparing Life Satisfaction of Immigrants and Natives Across Europe: The Role of Social Contacts
Abstract: Research on immigrants’ assimilation is widespread both in the U.S. and Europe. While it has been extensively studied how immigrants fare compared to natives on socio-economic indicators, few studies have focussed on immigrants’ perception of their position. In this paper we focus on comparing life satisfaction of immigrants and natives across Europe and on the role of social embeddedness. Using data from the first six rounds (2002–2012) of the European Social Survey, a repeated cross-sectional survey, we find that life satisfaction among immigrants is lower than among natives even though differences diminish over generations. For first generation immigrants part of the life satisfaction gap is explained by the lower level of social embeddedness they have compared to natives. We also find that social embeddedness is a key explanatory factor for life satisfaction for both immigrants and natives. For two out of the three indicators of social embeddedness that we consider we however find different patterns of association with life satisfaction for immigrants compared to natives.
Arpino, B., & de Valk, H. (2018). Comparing Life Satisfaction of Immigrants and Natives Across Europe : The Role of Social Contacts. Social Indicators Research, 137(3), 1163‑1184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1629-x
Income and emotional well-being: Evidence for well-being plateauing around $200,000 per year
Abstract: Is emotional well-being monotonically increasing in the level of income or does it reach a plateau at some income threshold, whereafter additional income does not contribute to further well-being? Conflicting answers to this question has been suggested in the academic literature. In a recent paper, using an income threshold of $100,000 per year, Killingsworth et al. (2023) appears to have resolved these conflicts, concluding that emotional well-being is monotonically increasing in income for all but the unhappiest individuals. In this paper, we show that this conclusion is sensitive to the placement of the income threshold at which the relationship between emotional well-being and income is allowed to plateau. Using standard econometric methods, we propose a data-driven approach to detect the placement of the threshold. Using this data-driven income threshold, a flat relationship between household income and emotional well-being above a threshold around $200,000 per year is found. While our analysis relaxes the assumption of a pre-specified income threshold, it relies on a number of other assumptions, which we briefly discuss. We conclude that although the analysis of this paper provides some evidence for well-being plateauing around $200,000 per year, more research is needed before any definite conclusions about the relationship between emotional well-being and income can be drawn.
Bennedsen, Mikkel, (2024), Income and emotional well-being: Evidence for well-being plateauing around $200,000 per year, Papers, arXiv.org.
Perceived Social Exclusion Partially Accounts for Social Status Effects on Subjective Well-Being: A Comparative Study of Japan, Germany, and the United States
Abstract: People who are socioeconomically better off tend to report higher levels of well-being, with inconsistent roles ascribed to objective socioeconomic status (SES), subjective SES (SSES), and personal relative deprivation (PRD)—depending on the predictors, facets of well-being, and countries under study. We tested a comprehensive model of social status indicators as determinants of subjective well-being by a) including PRD, SSES, income, and education as predictors, b) assessing subjective well-being as well as interdependent happiness (happiness in relation to significant others), c) testing the model in Japan, Germany, and the US—countries with comparable societal structure (e.g., educated, industrialized, rich, democratic) but diverging cultural dimensions, and d) testing an explanatory variable: feeling excluded from society. Cross-culturally (N = 2,155), PRD and SSES independently and strongly predicted well-being, while income and education exhibited negligible direct effects. SSES emerged as the predominant predictor in Japan compared to the US and Germany, whereas PRD was the predominant predictor in the US compared to Germany and, to a lesser extent, Japan. This was largely accounted for by culture-specific links of social status with perceived social exclusion—the extent to which people feel unable to keep up with society as a whole. Perceived social exclusion was more strongly linked to SSES in Japan compared to Germany and the US, and more strongly linked to PRD in the US than in Germany. The role of perceived social exclusion as an explanatory variable in the relationship between social status and subjective well-being merits further investigation within and between countries.
Sagioglou, C., Hommerich, C. Perceived Social Exclusion Partially Accounts for Social Status Effects on Subjective Well-Being: A Comparative Study of Japan, Germany, and the United States. Applied Research Quality Life (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-024-10285-1
Contribution of Relationships with Friends and Teachers and Experiences of School Violence to the Subjective Well-Being of Immigrant Children
Abstract: While the individual trajectories of immigrant children may differ, attending school is a collective experience for most children. When considering children’s integration into their respective school environments, social interactions with peers and teachers may contribute to their ease of integration and overall subjective well-being, as well as potential experiences of violence within the school context. The objectives of this study are to (a) explore the contribution of satisfaction with friends, teachers, and school violence to the SWB of immigrant children, and (b) examine how said contributions and subsequent associations vary across generations. Participants are 8360 children from 21 countries between the ages of 9–13, who report that they themselves or at least one of their parents was born in a foreign country. The participants completed a survey that included demographic information and validated measures from the International Survey of Children’s Well-Being (ISCWeB), including the Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale (CW-SWBS), and was contextually adapted as appropriate. The data was analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicate that higher levels of satisfaction with peer and teacher relationships, as well as fewer experiences of perceived violence, are associated with the subjective well-being of immigrant children. Thus, our model presents a good fit and accounts for 30% of the subjective well-being variance. Our results indicate the importance of social relationships, specifically with peers and teachers, and reinforces school as a crucial context for significant social support and correspondingly may improve immigrant children’s subjective well-being.
Friedrich Schutz, F., Miconi, D., Bedin, L.M. et al. Contribution of Relationships with Friends and Teachers and Experiences of School Violence to the Subjective Well-Being of Immigrant Children. J Happiness Stud 25, 30 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00733-y
The Prevalence of Positive Affect over Negative Affect in Adolescents’ Well-being: Moderating Role of Individualism
Abstract: Emotional experiences (positive and negative affect) profoundly influence adolescents’ health and psycho-social functioning. Both positive and negative affect are important for well-being. However, few studies have examined different contributions of positive and negative affect to adolescents’ well-being in a global context. Using a dataset derived from the PISA 2018 survey, this study examined the association between emotional experiences and adolescents’ well-being (physical, hedonic, and eudaimonic well-being), and the moderating role of individualistic cultural value in the abovementioned relationships. The sample sizes (69,502 adolescents from 8 societies when physical well-being was the outcome,413,974 adolescents from 66 societies when eudaimonic well-being was the outcome, and 421,136 adolescents from 67 societies when hedonic well-being was the outcome) were large enough for sound conclusions. The results showed that positive affect was positively associated with all well-being indicators (physical, hedonic, and eudaimonic well-being), while negative affect was negatively associated with all well-being indicators. The results of the relative weighting analyses showed that positive affect contributed more strongly to adolescents’ well-being than negative affect. In addition, multilevel analyses showed that individualism increases the association of positive affect, but decreases the association of negative affect, and adolescents’ eudaimonic and hedonic well-being. These findings suggest that positive affect may be more closely associated with adolescents’ well-being than negative affect. The effects of emotional experiences on well-being can be moderated by culture.
Guo, Q., Zheng, W. & Han, Z. The Prevalence of Positive Affect over Negative Affect in Adolescents’ Well-being: Moderating Role of Individualism. J Happiness Stud 25, 32 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00716-z
Commuting vs teleworking: How does it impact the relationship between commuting satisfaction and subjective well-being
Abstract: While the relationship between commuting satisfaction (CS) and subjective well-being (SWB) has been extensively studied, less attention is given to explaining how CS affects SWB via satisfaction with non-travel-related life domains. Failure to account for these spillover effects of life domains other than commuting has certainly led to an overestimation of the impact from CS to SWB. This study aims to address this gap and examine the recent changes in commuting practices/working conditions, particularly the increase in working from home (WFH) due to the pandemic. A structural equation model is employed to examine differences in WFH frequencies and their impact on the relationship between CS, satisfaction with other life domains and SWB. The results suggest that hybrid teleworkers exhibit highest SWB and occasional WFH individuals have the lowest levels of SWB. Moreover, the effect of CS on SWB is mediated first by time satisfaction (TUS) and then by other life domains, highlighting the dominance of TUS on the relationship between CS and SWB regardless of WFH frequency. These findings help to identify not only areas where employee SWB can be improved, but also how.
Maheshwari, R., Van Acker, V., & Gerber, P. (2024). Commuting vs teleworking : How does it impact the relationship between commuting satisfaction and subjective well-being. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 182, 104041. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2024.104041
Using Life Satisfaction and Happiness Data for Environmental Valuation: An Experienced Preference Approach
Abstract: A growing literature in economics uses subjective well-being data collected in surveys as a proxy for utility. Environmental economists have combined these data with the public goods experienced by respondents using a novel non-market valuation approach: the experienced preference approach. In this review, we take stock of what we know, including recent developments, and what we still need to learn about this new approach. We first present a conceptual framework that clarifies the relationship between experienced preference and conventional valuation approaches. We then discuss key challenges for its empirical application and identify areas where additional research would be fruitful.
Ferreira, Susana, Moro, Mirko and Welsch, Heinz, (2024), Using Life Satisfaction and Happiness Data for Environmental Valuation: An Experienced Preference Approach, No 16718, IZA Discussion Papers, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
Happiness Dynamics, Reference Dependence, and Motivated Beliefs in U.S. Presidential Elections
Abstract: Collecting and analyzing panel data over the last four U.S. presidential elections, we study the drivers of self-reported happiness. We relate our empirical findings to existing models of elation, reference dependence, and belief formation. In addition to corroborating previous findings in the literature (hedonic asymmetry/hedonic loss aversion, hedonic adaptation and motivated beliefs), we provide novel results that extend the literature in four dimensions. First, happiness responds to changes relative to both the political status quo (i.e., the incumbent presidential party) and the expected electoral outcome, providing support for two major hypotheses regarding reference point formation. Individuals exhibit hedonic loss aversion to deviations from expectations, but hedonic loss neutrality to changes from the status quo. Second, the speed of hedonic adaptation to deviations from the status quo is significantly slower than the speed of hedonic adaptation to surprises. Third, expectations affect happiness in a nonlinear way, consistent with Gul’s model of disappointment aversion, but contrary to other influential reference-dependent models. Fourth, both “objective” and motivated subjective beliefs matter for the happiness reactions, although subjective beliefs matter more.
Kimball, Miles, Raymond, Collin B., Zhou, Jiannan, Zhou, Junya, Ohtake, Fumio and Tsutsui, Yoshiro, (2024), Happiness Dynamics, Reference Dependence, and Motivated Beliefs in U.S. Presidential Elections, No 32078, NBER Working Papers, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
I Can’t Go to Work Tomorrow! Work-Family Policies, Well-Being and Absenteeism
Abstract: Among the main causes of absenteeism are health problems, emotional problems, and inadequate work-family policies (WFP). This paper analyses the impact of the existence and accessibility of WFP on work absenteeism, by considering the mediating role of the well-being, which includes emotional as well as physical or health problems, that is generated by these policies. We differentiate between the existence of the WFP and its accessibility, as the mere existence of the WFP in an organisation is not enough. Additionally, workers must be able to access these policies easily and without retaliation of any kind. The model includes the hierarchy and the gender as moderating variables. To test the proposed hypotheses, a structural equation model based on the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach is applied to a sample of employees in the service sector in Spain. On the one hand, the findings show that the existence of WFP has no direct effect on absenteeism; however, accessibility to these policies does have a direct effect on absenteeism. On the other hand, both the existence and accessibility of WFP have positive direct effects on emotional well-being. In addition, emotional well-being is positively related to physical well-being which, in turn, promotes a reduction in absenteeism. Finally, significant differences in the relationship between the existence of WFP and emotional well-being confirm the special difficulty of female managers in reconciling family life and work life.
Medina-Garrido, Jose Aurelio, Biedma-Ferrer, Jose Maria and Sanchez-Ortiz, Jaime, (2023), I Can’t Go to Work Tomorrow! Work-Family Policies, Well-Being and Absenteeism, Papers, arXiv.org.
The double dividend of safety
This guest post on Daniel Nettle’s blog explains and explores the idea that people facing higher external risks to their health will rationally invest less in health-promoting behaviours. Thus, campaigns promoting healthier behaviours will likely fall flat if they are not associated with visible reduction of external risk factors.
Nettle, Daniel. « The Double Dividend of Safety ». Daniel Nettle (blog), 18 mars 2024. https://www.danielnettle.org.uk/2024/03/18/the-double-dividend-of-safety/.
The Gender Minority Gaps in Confidence and Self-Evaluations
Abstract: An increasing share of the population identifies as something other than male or female. Yet, we know very little about the economic preferences and beliefs of gender minorities. In this paper, we document a “gender minority gap” in confidence and in self-evaluations. Middle and high school students complete a math and science test. Relative to equally performing male and female peers, gender diverse students believe they scored lower and provide more pessimistic subjective self-evaluations of their performance, even after they learn their score. These findings may help to improve our understanding of the socioeconomic disparities that gender minorities experience.
Aksoy, Billur, Christine L. Exley, et Judd B. Kessler. « The Gender Minority Gaps in Confidence and Self-Evaluation ». Working Paper. Working Paper Series. National Bureau of Economic Research, janvier 2024. https://doi.org/10.3386/w32061.
The Cantril Ladder elicits thoughts about power and wealth
Abstract: The Cantril Ladder is among the most widely administered subjective well-being measures; every year, it is collected in 140+ countries in the Gallup World Poll and reported in the World Happiness Report. The measure asks respondents to evaluate their lives on a ladder from worst (bottom) to best (top). Prior work found Cantril Ladder scores sensitive to social comparison and to reflect one’s relative position in the income distribution. To understand this, we explored how respondents interpret the Cantril Ladder. We analyzed word responses from 1581 UK adults and tested the impact of the (a) ladder imagery, (b) scale anchors of worst to best possible life, and c) bottom to top. Using three language analysis techniques (dictionary, topic, and word embeddings), we found that the Cantril Ladder framing emphasizes power and wealth over broader well-being and relationship concepts in comparison to the other study conditions. Further, altering the framings increased preferred scale levels from 8.4 to 8.9 (Cohen’s d = 0.36). Introducing harmony as an anchor yielded the strongest divergence from the Cantril Ladder, reducing mentions of power and wealth topics the most (Cohen’s d = −0.76). Our findings refine the understanding of historical Cantril Ladder data and may help guide the future evolution of well-being metrics and guidelines.
Nilsson, A.H., Eichstaedt, J.C., Lomas, T. et al. The Cantril Ladder elicits thoughts about power and wealth. Sci Rep 14, 2642 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-52939–y