International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Volume 35, Issue 1/2, March 2015.
Purpose This paper examines the relationship between the individual and aggregate level foundations of subjective well-being (SWB). In particular, we focus on the institutional differences between the welfare states as possible explanatory sources of SWB. Design/methodology/approach The data come from the Finnish, British, German and Greek sections of the ESS Round 5, 2010 (N=10,046). Our methods consist of multilevel and linear regression models. Findings The results indicate that the effects of many background variables are somewhat constant in the selected countries, even though the countries are different from each other in terms of their institutional characteristics. SWB can be explained relatively well by individuals’ social networks, health and socio-demographic factors. However, the detected cross-country differences also point to the fact that the institutional differences among the countries have significance in this instance. Research limitations/implications The research approach was built on cross-sectional data on Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Greece only. While these countries represent different types of European societies it is not possible to make broader conclusions on the variation caused by societal or cultural factors in the global sense. Originality/value Previous studies have addressed the direct effects of the background factors in contemporary Europe. Beyond these determinants also lies the possible impact of institutional and cultural factors.
Purpose This paper examines the relationship between the individual and aggregate level foundations of subjective well-being (SWB). In particular, we focus on the institutional differences between the welfare states as possible explanatory sources of SWB. Design/methodology/approach The data come from the Finnish, British, German and Greek sections of the ESS Round 5, 2010 (N=10,046). Our methods consist of multilevel and linear regression models. Findings The results indicate that the effects of many background variables are somewhat constant in the selected countries, even though the countries are different from each other in terms of their institutional characteristics. SWB can be explained relatively well by individuals’ social networks, health and socio-demographic factors. However, the detected cross-country differences also point to the fact that the institutional differences among the countries have significance in this instance. Research limitations/implications The research approach was built on cross-sectional data on Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Greece only. While these countries represent different types of European societies it is not possible to make broader conclusions on the variation caused by societal or cultural factors in the global sense. Originality/value Previous studies have addressed the direct effects of the background factors in contemporary Europe. Beyond these determinants also lies the possible impact of institutional and cultural factors.