Time well spent versus a life considered: changing subjective Well-Being in China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
By Shu Cai ◽  
Albert Park ◽  
Winnie Yip
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Rural China ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Adaptation Theory ◽  
Day Reconstruction Method ◽  
Longitudinal Survey Data ◽  
Experienced Utility ◽  
Positive Feelings

Abstract Using unique longitudinal survey data that employed the Day Reconstruction Method to measure experienced utility (EU) in rural China, this study reveals striking differences in the trends for life satisfaction and EU. We find that reported life satisfaction changed little over the period from 2006 to 2009. However, EU increased significantly during the same period. The improvement in EU is mainly due to more positive feelings about specific activities rather than changes in the time spent on different activities. These findings are consistent with the predictions of aspiration adaptation theory.

scholarly journals Validation of a Measure of Subjective Well-Being: An Abbreviated Version of the Day Reconstruction Method

PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. e43887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Miret ◽  
Francisco Félix Caballero ◽  
Arvind Mathur ◽  
Nirmala Naidoo ◽  
Paul Kowal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Day Reconstruction Method

Accounting for the Richness of Daily Activities

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 1000-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew P. White ◽  
Paul Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Day Reconstruction Method ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Affective Component ◽  
Private Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Serious consideration is being given to the impact of private behavior and public policies on people's subjective well-being (SWB). A new approach to measuring well-being, the day reconstruction method (DRM), weights the affective component of daily activities by their duration in order to construct temporal aggregates. However, the DRM neglects the potentially important role of thoughts. By adapting this method to include thoughts as well as feelings, we provide perhaps the most comprehensive measure of SWB to date. We show that some activities relatively low in pleasure (e.g., work and time with children) are nonetheless thought of as rewarding and therefore contribute to overall SWB. Such information may be important to policymakers wishing to promote behaviors that are conducive to a broader conception of SWB.

scholarly journals Informing behavioural policies with data from everyday life

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
LEONHARD K. LADES ◽  
LUCIE MARTIN ◽  
LIAM DELANEY
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reconstruction Method ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Day Reconstruction Method ◽  
Monitoring Tool ◽  
Behavioural Interventions ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
The Everyday

AbstractNaturalistic monitoring tools provide detailed information about people's behaviours and experiences in everyday life. Most naturalistic monitoring research has focused on measuring subjective well-being. This paper discusses how naturalistic monitoring can inform behavioural public policy-making by providing detailed information about everyday decisions and the choice architecture in which these decisions are made. We describe how the Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) – a naturalistic monitoring tool popular in the subjective well-being literature – can be used to: (i) improve ecological validity of behavioural economics; (ii) provide mechanistic evidence of the everyday workings of behavioural interventions; and (iii) help us to better understand people's true preferences. We believe that DRM data on everyday life have great potential to support the design and evaluation of behavioural policies.

scholarly journals Subjective Well-Being of Indonesian Children: A Perspective of Material Well-Being [Kesejahteraan Subjektif Anak Indonesia: Sebuah Perspektif Kesejahteraan Materi]

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-230
Author(s):  
Ihsana Sabriani Borualogo ◽  
Ferran Casas
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Material Deprivation ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Single Item ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Positive Feelings ◽  
Overall Life Satisfaction

This study aims to explain the subjective well-being of Indonesian children in terms of material well-being. Indonesia is still considered a developing country, and several studies reveal the correlation between economic status and subjective well-being of adults. However, only a very limited number of studies focus on Indonesian children’s material well-being from their own perspective. This study used data from the third wave of the Children’s Worlds survey conducted in Indonesia. The sample (N = 14,576; 49.35% boys; 50.65% girls) was composed of children aged 10 years and 12 years. Subjective well-being (SWB) was measured using the Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale (CW-SWBS) and a single-item Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) scale. Material well-being was measured using family economic status, material deprivation, frequency of being worried about family’s money situation, and frequency of having enough food to eat each day. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Cummins’ theory of subjective well-being (SWB) was used to explain the results. Results showed that children from families with high economic status who reported no material deprivation, never worrying about the family’s money, and always having enough food to eat each day displayed higher subjective well-being (SWB) mean scores on both subjective well-being (SWB) scales compared to children in families from middle and lower economic status. However, children from middle and lower economic status showed rather high subjective well-being (SWB) scores, suggesting that children are able to maintain positive feelings about themselves and their level of subjective well-being (SWB) despite belonging to a less fortunate economic situation. These results will hopefully encourage Indonesian scholars and researchers to elaborate deeper in future studies. Penelitian ini bertujuan menjelaskan kesejahteraan subjektif (subjective well-being; SWB) anak Indonesia terkait kesejahteraan materi. Indonesia masih dikategorikan sebagai negara berkembang, dan beberapa penelitian terdahulu mengungkapkan korelasi antara status ekonomi dan kesejahteraan subjektif orang dewasa. Namun, studi yang memfokuskan pada kesejahteraan materi anak Indonesia dari perspektif mereka sendiri masih sangat terbatas. Studi ini menggunakan data dari survei Children’s Worlds gelombang ketiga yang dilakukan di Indonesia. Sampel penelitian terdiri dari anak-anak usia 10 tahun dan 12 tahun (N = 14.576; 49,35% laki-laki; 50,65% perempuan). Kesejahteraan subjektif diukur dengan menggunakan dua skala: Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale (CW-SWBS) dan Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) dengan butir pertanyaan tunggal. Kesejahteraan materi diukur berdasarkan dimensi status ekonomi keluarga, kekurangan materi, frekuensi kekhawatiran tentang situasi keuangan keluarga, dan frekuensi ketersediaan makanan untuk dikonsumsi setiap hari. Data kemudian dianalisis dengan menggunakan statistik deskriptif. Teori Cummins tentang kesejahteraan subjektif digunakan untuk menjelaskan temuan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa anak-anak dari keluarga dengan status ekonomi tinggi yang tidak melaporkan kekurangan materi, tidak pernah khawatir tentang keuangan keluarga, dan selalu memiliki cukup makanan untuk dikonsumsi setiap hari menunjukkan skor rata-rata kesejahteraan subjektif yang lebih tinggi pada dua skala kesejahteraan subjektif dibandingkan anak-anak dari keluarga dengan status ekonomi menengah dan rendah. Namun, anak-anak dari status ekonomi menengah dan rendah menunjukkan skor kesejahteraan subjektif yang relatif tinggi, yang mengungkapkan bahwa anak-anak dapat menjaga perasaan positif tentang diri mereka sendiri dan tingkat kesejahteraan subjektifnya meskipun tergolong ke dalam status ekonomi yang kurang mapan. Hasil penelitian diharapkan dapat mendorong para ilmwuan dan peneliti di Indonesia untuk lebih mendalami fenomena ini pada studi-studi selanjutnya.

scholarly journals Individual differences and changes in lifestyle behaviours predict decreased subjective well-being during COVID-19 restrictions in an Australian sample

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Brindal ◽  
Jillian C Ryan ◽  
Naomi Kakoschke ◽  
Sinead Golley ◽  
Ian T Zajac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Australian Sample

Abstract Background Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social distancing practices were introduced to curb infection rates in many countries. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of these restrictions on behaviours and well-being and whether individual differences predict changes in well-being. Methods Australian adults participated in a cross-sectional, online survey during May 2020. The survey captured demographic information; health behaviours; personality traits; life satisfaction and COVID-19-related attitudes, financial concerns, perceived risks and impacts. Results In total, 3745 (86.8% of 4313) participants completed all items. Participants were mostly female (85.7%) and 56.4 years (standard deviation [SD] = 12.6) on average. Over 95.0% of the sample indicated they had been social distancing or isolating. Health behaviours and well-being had generally worsened, with social connections being the most negatively affected. Life satisfaction was significantly lower since restrictions. For changes in life satisfaction, extroversion was a risk factor and openness to experience was a protective factor. Conclusions Overall, well-being was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing particularly in this sample containing mainly older women. In future, it will be crucial to understand why and who may be differentially affected, to encourage behaviours that are protective of well-being.

scholarly journals Family Solidarity, Social Support, Loneliness, and Well-Being Among Older Adults in Rural China

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 319-320
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Zhang ◽  
Merril Silverstein
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Child Support ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
National Bureau ◽  
Subjective Well Being

Abstract China is experiencing a large increase in elderly population. In 2019, China’s population aged 60 and above had reached 253 million, accounting for 18.1% of the total population (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2020). By 2050, the number of adults aged 60+ would be up to 430 million, reaching one third of the total population (Du, Zhai & Chen, 2005). Considering such a rapid aging process and the existing large number of older adults in China, it becomes imperative to investigate how psychosocial factors affect this group’s subjective well-being. This study proposed that, among older adults, higher support received from each of the three relational sources (adult children, family and friends) were associated with reduced loneliness and improved well-being. Structural equation modeling was conducted using a sample of rural adults aged 60 and older (N= 1142) from the 2018 wave of data from the Longitudinal Study of Older Adults in Anhui Province, China. Findings indicated that support from adult children directly and indirectly decreased older adults’ depression and improved their life satisfaction through loneliness; while support from family members directly decreased depression but did not directly improve life satisfaction or indirectly improve well-being through loneliness. Although support from friends did not have a significant impact on older adults’ well-being, it indirectly improved well-being through reduced loneliness. Findings have implications for programs or interventions targeting both parent -adult-child support and friends support and reducing rural older adults’ loneliness.

scholarly journals How does area-level deprivation depress an individual’s self-rated health and life satisfaction? Evidence from a nationwide population-based survey in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Oshio ◽  
Hiromi Kimura ◽  
Toshimi Nishizaki ◽  
Takashi Omori
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Internet Survey ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Area-level deprivation is well known to have an adverse impact on mortality, morbidity, or other specific health outcomes. This study examined how area-level deprivation may affect self-rated health (SRH) and life satisfaction (LS), an issue that is largely understudied. Methods We used individual-level data obtained from a nationwide population-based internet survey conducted between 2019 and 2020, as well as municipality-level data obtained from a Japanese government database (N = 12,461 living in 366 municipalities). We developed multilevel regression models to explain an individual’s SRH and LS scores using four alternative measures of municipality-level deprivation, controlling for individual-level deprivation and covariates. We also examined how health behavior and interactions with others mediated the impact of area-level deprivation on SRH and LS. Results Participants in highly deprived municipalities tended to report poorer SRH and lower LS. For example, when living in municipalities falling in the highest tertile of municipality-level deprivation as measured by the z-scoring method, SRH and LS scores worsened by a standard deviation of 0.05 (p < 0.05) when compared with those living in municipalities falling in the lowest tertile of deprivation. In addition, health behavior mediated between 17.6 and 33.1% of the impact of municipality-level deprivation on SRH and LS, depending on model specifications. Conclusion Results showed that area-level deprivation modestly decreased an individual’s general health conditions and subjective well-being, underscoring the need for public health policies to improve area-level socioeconomic conditions.

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