Subjective well-being, health, and income
The interest in subjective well-being (SWB) arises from the awareness that the ultimate goal of any policy is to enhance the individuals’ well-being and populations’ welfare. Health and income are typically considered as two key factors contributing to SWB. This session focuses on better understanding the links between SWB, health and income in diverse countries. The three papers reveal how different measures of health and income are related to SWB; providing both mean and distributional estimates. The first paper compares time allocation, emotional experiences, and well-being between older persons with and without disabilities in Russia, Asian and African countries. The second paper considers the comparisons individuals make with others, by focusing on different ways of capturing relative income and their respective associations with SWB in the United States (US). The last paper assesses health- and income-related inequalities in SWB in the 50+ population and compares the intermingled contributions of health and income to these disparities between the US and Europe