Subjective Well-Being across the Lifespan in Europe and Central Asia

Type Journal Article - WB Policy Research WP
Title Subjective Well-Being across the Lifespan in Europe and Central Asia
Author(s)
Issue 7378
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2015
URL https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/22462/Subjective0wel0ope0and0Central0Asia​.pdf?sequence=1
Abstract
This paper uses data from the Integrated Values Survey, the Life in Transition Survey, and the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey to analyze the relation between age and subjective well-being in the Europe and Central Asia region. Although the results generally confirm the findings of previous studies of a U-shaped relation between subjective well-being and age for most of the lifecycle, the paper also finds that well-being declines again after people reach their 60s and 70s, giving rise to an S-shaped relation across the entire lifespan. This pattern generally remains robust for most of the cross-sectional and panel analyses. Hence, despite significant heterogeneity in the pattern of well-being across the lifespan in the Europe and Central Asia region, the paper does not observe high levels of cross-country or cross-cohort variation.

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