Effect of perceived social distributions on subjective well-being (LISS Core Study)

In this study, we focus on factors underlying the concept of well-being, in particular the extent to which well-being is affected by social comparison processes. Previous studies have looked at how well-being can be predicted by people’s relative position, for instance with respect to income or health, within an objectively defined population distribution. It may be that people’s well-being might be better predicted by the subjective, rather than by the objective distributions of properties such as income or health. We intend to investigate this.In July 2008, the first part of the questionnaire about subjective estimations of properties such as income, health, number of friends et cetera was administered to het LISS panel.In October 2008 the second part of the study was administered, in which data were used from part 1. This second part of the study investigates factors underlying the concept of well-being, in particular the extent to which well-being is affected by social comparison processes. Previous studies have looked at how well-being can be predicted by people’s relative position, for instance with respect to income or health, within an objectively defined population distribution. It may be that people’s well-being might be better predicted by the subjective, rather than by the objective distributions of properties such as income or health.