Food Insecurity Is More Strongly Associated with Poor Subjective Well-Being in More-Developed Countries than in Less-Developed Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 149 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward A Frongillo ◽  
Hoa T Nguyen ◽  
Michael D Smith ◽  
Alisha Coleman-Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Daily Experience ◽  
Hedonic Adaptation ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Multilevel Linear Regression

ABSTRACT Background Food insecurity is strongly associated with subjective well-being. People compare their well-being to a subjective reference that adjusts over time, which is called hedonic adaptation. Objective We aimed to deepen understanding of the relation between food insecurity and subjective well-being among countries from the perspective of possible hedonic adaptation between food insecurity and subjective well-being. Methods Global data from the Gallup World Poll 2014 were collected from 152,206 individuals in 147 countries. Telephone and face-to-face surveys were conducted in 37 and 111 countries, respectively, collecting data on law and order; food and shelter; institutions and infrastructure; job climate; and financial, social, physical, and evaluative well-being, including the Food Insecurity Experience Scale. Data were aggregated to country level and merged with economic and social measures from World Bank and United Nations sources: infant mortality, gross domestic product, economic inequality, agricultural value added, fertility, maternal mortality, female schooling, and female participation in the labor force. Multilevel linear regression was used to examine associations between well-being and food insecurity. Results Experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity was prevalent among countries, with a mean probability of 0.273 ± 0.220. Countries that were less developed economically and socially had a higher probability of experiencing food insecurity, lower subjective well-being as measured by the daily experience index, and less negative slopes for the relation between daily experience index and food insecurity. Food insecurity was the strongest predictor of daily experience from among the measures of economic and social development. Conclusions The prevalence of food insecurity was strongly and negatively associated with subjective well-being across 147 countries. The association between food insecurity and poor subjective well-being within countries was stronger for more-developed countries, providing evidence of hedonic adaptation between food insecurity and subjective well-being. Food insecurity explained substantial variation in subjective well-being both among and within countries.

scholarly journals The Effect of Fixed-Term Employment on Well-Being: Disentangling the Micro-Mechanisms and the Moderating Role of Social Cohesion

2020 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-115
Author(s):  
Sonja Scheuring
Keyword(s):  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Social Contacts ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Deprivation Model ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This paper examines the impact of fixed-term employment on well-being from a cross-national comparative perspective by testing (1) the effect heterogeneity across European countries, (2) to which extent Jahoda’s Latent Deprivation Model provides a sufficient micro-level explanation for the underlying mechanisms and (3) whether the macro-level factor of social cohesion weakens the micro-level impacts. We investigate the effects in both an upwards (permanent employment) and a downwards (unemployment) comparative control group design. Due to the mediating role of social contacts on the micro-level, we assume social cohesion on the country-level to moderate the main effects: A high degree of societal affiliation should substitute the function of social contacts in the work environment of individuals. Using microdata from the European Social Survey (ESS) 2012 for 23 countries and applying multilevel estimation procedures, we find that there is a remarkable variation in the effects across countries. Even though in each country fixed-term employees have a lower subjective well-being compared to permanent ones, the point estimates vary from .17 to 1.19 units. When comparing fixed-term employees to unemployed individuals, the coefficients even range from − .27 to 1.25 units. More specifically, a negative effect indicates that having a fixed-term contract is worse than unemployment in some countries. Moreover, pooled linear regression models reveal that Jahoda’s Latent Deprivation Model explains about three-quarters of the micro-level effect sizes for both directions. Eventually, social cohesion on the country-level diminishes the individual-level well-being differences between fixed-term employees and permanent individuals but not between fixed-term employees and the unemployed.

Correlates of Bullying Victimization and Sexual Harassment: Implications for Life Satisfaction in Late Adolescents

2019 ◽  
pp. 105984051986384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Oriol ◽  
Rafael Miranda ◽  
Alberto Amutio
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Late Adolescents ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Face To Face

Bullying and sexual harassment are considered widespread public health concerns because they may have negative effects on physical and mental health. However, more studies are necessary that relate these forms of victimization and their overlap with subjective well-being. This study explores the prevalence and association between different forms of bullying victimization, sexual harassment, and life satisfaction using a sample of 47,114 students aged 16–18 years and from 646 Peruvian educational institutions. Face-to-face bullying was the most reported type of victimization, followed by cyberbullying. There was a large degree of overlap between these two forms of bullying as well as between traditional bullying and sexual harassment. This overlap causes a decrease in life satisfaction in late adolescents. Thus, the need of preventing the negative dynamics of violence in order to prevent the overlapping of different violence forms in adolescence is discussed. Finally, implications for school nurses are outlined.

scholarly journals Finding ‘Reasons to Stay’ Amidst Issues of Well-Being: A Case Study of Two Underserved Communities in Colombo

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (35) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iresha M. Lakshman ◽  
Mohideen M. Alikhan ◽  
Abdhullah Azam
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Underserved Communities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Income Status ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
The Many ◽  
Migration Experiences

This paper attempts to explore the factors that attract and encourage individuals to live in low-income neighbourhoods in Colombo in spite of the many socioeconomic issues that are associated with such communities. Data was collected through 30 face-to-face in-depth interviews with residents from two underserved communities consisting of individuals with different migration experiences. The collected data was then analysed using the three-dimensional well-being model introduced by Pouw and McGregor (2014). The study revealed a situation of material and relational wellbeing intersecting to create a more practical kind of well-being in the communities studied. Of the two, material well-being had the strongest power to attract and retain residents in the neighbourhoods while relational wellbeing played a supportive role in terms of pulling people into the community. Subjective well-being, on the other hand, was identified as the strongest reason with a capacity to push people away from the community. However, this single push factor was not strong enough to overpower the pull effect of material and relational well-being, particularly because of the residents’ low-income status. The material benefits of living in the location facilitated by social ties offered by the neighbourhood kept these residents attracted and attached to these underserved communities.

Perception of social reality and subjective well-being in developed countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Goffe ◽  
G. Monusova
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Social Reality ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Voting Behaviour ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
The Social

This book is centered on two issues. Firstly, how do individuals from different countries view various social and economic phenomena, which they often encounter? Secondly, how do their views affect their subjective well-being? The authors of this book use international findings and their research to answer these questions. Analyzing the mechanisms which lead to a discrepancy between objective and subjective assessment of life is crucial for understanding the social, economic and voting behaviour of individuals, as well as searching for ways to preserve political stability.

A Convenient Truth?

2021 ◽  
pp. 9-41
Author(s):  
Peter Railton
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Political Behavior ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Sacrifice

Justice would appear to require that those who are the principal beneficiaries of a history of economic and political behavior that has produced dramatic climate change bear a correspondingly large share of the costs of getting it under control. Yet a widespread material ideology of happiness suggests that this would require sacrificing “quality of life” in the most-developed countries—hardly a popular program. However, an empirically-grounded understanding of the nature and function of “subjective well-being”, and of the factors that most influence it, challenges this ideology and suggests instead that well-being in more-developed as well as less-developed societies could be improved consistently with sustainable resource-utilization. If right, this could refocus debates over climate change from the sacrifice of “quality of life” to the enhancement and more equitable distribution of well-being within a framework of sustainable relations with one another and with the rest of nature.

scholarly journals Subjective Well-being of Older Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa Is Most Associated with Food Security, Physical Health and Emotional Support (P04-090-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwina Wambogo ◽  
Nadine Sahyoun
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Emotional Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract Objectives Using the social ecological model, the objectives of this study were to examine (1) the associations between proximate factors (food security and physical health) and measures of subjective well-being (SWB), and (2) the associations of distal community and country level risk factors with SWB, independent of food security and physical health. Methods Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) data of 5585 respondents aged 60 years or older included in Gallup World Poll (GWP) 2014 and 2015 were included in these analyses. GWP collected data on several indicators SWB (eudaimonic, hedonic and evaluative), together with data on food security, physical health, social support and social participation, and country level factors such as quality of roads and public transport. We estimated three hierarchical logistic regression models for each index controlling for country and GWP survey year as a fixed effects. Results In bivariate logistic regression analysis, food security was most associated with higher evaluative well-being (OR 2.80, 95% CI 2.05–3.83) and physical health was most associated with higher eudaimonic well-being (OR 3.30, 95% CI 2.64–4.14). Physical health was also most associated with higher positive experiences (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.59–2.10), and most inversely associated with negative experiences (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.41–0.55), in bivariate analysis. In the multivariate models, emotional support explained eudaimonic well-being (OR 3.66, 95% CI 2.41–5.58), and evaluative well-being (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.26–2.79), followed by physical health and food security, respectively. Conclusions Food security, physical health and emotional support were strongly associated with SWB among older adults in this study. Food security is particularly important for QOL, and has a bi-directional relationship with these other predictors of SWB. Therefore, continued monitoring the food security of older adults in the region remains important. Funding Sources N/A.

The native-migrant gap in job satisfaction across European countries

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Benedetti ◽  
Tiziana Laureti ◽  
Andrea Regoli
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Hierarchical Level ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Immigrant Status ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the body of research on job satisfaction as a subjective dimension of the quality of working life. Specifically, it addresses the comparison of job satisfaction between native-born and foreign-born workers in 28 European countries.Design/methodology/approachA multilevel modelling framework is used for exploring the variability associated with every hierarchical level (individuals constitute the first-level units, combinations country-activity sector are the second-level units and countries are the third-level units).FindingsThe country-specific native-migrant gap in job satisfaction displays some heterogeneity across countries when accounting for socio-demographic and job-related characteristics. Country-level factors have a significant effect on job satisfaction score of all resident workers. Nevertheless, they do not moderate significantly the effect of immigrant status on job satisfaction across countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe unavailability of data on migrants' country of origin and duration of stay in the host country prevents from exploring in more details the integration issues of migrants.Social implicationsJob satisfaction of migrant workers, as an indicator of their working conditions, is fundamental for evaluating the degree of social integration of migrants in their host countriesOriginality/valueA distinctive trait of this research is the use of the 2013 ad hoc EU-SILC module on subjective well-being, which contains subjective evaluations of the satisfaction with the job as well as with other different life domains. Further distinctive aspects are the investigation of (1) the direct effect of country-level factors on job satisfaction and (2) whether country-level factors mediate the effect of the immigrant status on job satisfaction.

Measuring Poverty: Context-Specific but not Relative

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
KRISTIAN NIEMIETZ
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Median Income ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Absolute Poverty ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Context Specific

AbstractPoverty in developed countries is commonly defined in relative terms. It is argued that a relative definition formalises the insight that poverty is a context-specific phenomenon, and that the understanding of what constitutes poverty changes with overall economic development. Yet this article argues that tagging a poverty line to mean or median incomes does not automatically anchor it in its social context. Relative measures rely on the implicit assumptions that social norms are formed at the national level, and that median income earners set social standards. A comparison with studies on ‘Subjective Well-Being’ (SWB) shows that these assumptions are rather arbitrary. At the same time, relative indicators do not take account of changes in the product market structure that disproportionately affect the poor. If low-cost substitutes for expensive items become available, the poor will be relatively more affected than median income earners. Conventional ‘absolute poverty’ indicators will be equally dismissed for not solving these problems either. A combined ‘Consensual Material Deprivation’ and ‘Budget Standard Approach’ indicator will be proposed as a more robust alternative.

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