Abstract
The study investigated the relationship between objective and subjective indicators of economic well-being within different age, race, and sex groups over time. Stratification theory and an accommodation hypothesis were used to predict differential subjective responses to objective conditions within subgroups. Findings supported the hypothesis that the relationship would be weakest among the oldest age group compared to other age groups. Support was found for the hypothesis that predicted smaller coefficients among subgroups characterized as older, female, and nonwhite. Relationships were found to remain stable within all subgroups over time.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Bibliography
AndrewsF. M.: 1981, ‘Subjective social indicators, objective social indicators, and social accounting systems’, in F. T.Juster and K. C.Land (eds.), Social Accounting Systems: Essays on the State of the Art (Academic Press, New York), pp. 377–421.
BeckerG. S.: 1971, The Economics of Discrimination (University of Chicago Press, Chicago).
BielbyW. T. and R. M.Hauser: 1981, ‘Response error in earnings functions for nonblack males’, in P. V.Mardsen (ed.), Linear Models in Social Research (Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA), pp. 257–298.
BlauP. M.: 1977, Inequality and Heterogeneity: A Primitive Theory of Social Structure (The Free Press, New York).
BlauP. M. and O. D.Duncan: 1967, The American Occupational Structure (Wiley, New York).
BradburnN.: 1969, The Structure of Psychological Well-Being (Aldine, Chicago).
Bureau of Labor Statistics: 1980, Monthly Labor Review. U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.).
CampbellA., P. E.Converse, and W. L.Rodgers: 1976, The Quality of American Life: Preceptions, Evaluations, and Satisfactions (Russell Sage Foundation, New York).
ChiswickB. R. and J. A.O'Neill: 1977, Human Resources and Income Distribution: Issues and Policies (W.W. Norton & Company, New York).
CorcoranM. and G.Duncan: 1978, ‘A summary of Part I findings’, in G.Duncan and J.Morgan (eds.), Five Thousand American Families: Patterns of Economic Progress (6) (University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor), pp. 3–46.
DanzigerS., J.van derGaag, M.Taussig, and E.Smolensky: 1983, ‘The direct measurement of welfare level: How much does it cost to make ends meet?’, Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Paper #721-83 (University of Wisconsin, Madison).
DavisJ. A.: 1975, ‘Does economic growth improve the human lot? Yes, indeed, about 0.0005 per year’, National Opinion Research Center (University of Chicago, Illinois).
DuncanO. D.: 1968, ‘Social stratification and mobility: Problems in the measure of trend’, in E. B.Sheldon and W. E.Moore (eds.), Indicators of Social Change: Concepts and Measurements (Russell Sage Foundation, New York), pp. 675–720.
DuncanO. D.: 1975a, ‘Does money buy satisfaction?’, Social Indicators Research 2, pp. 267–274.
DuncanO. D.: 1975b, ‘Measuring social change via replication of surveys’, K. C.Land and S.Spilerman (eds.), Social Indicator Models (Russell Sage Foundaton, New York), pp. 105–128.
EasterlinR. A.: 1974, ‘Does economic growth improve the human lot?’, in P. A.David and H. W.Reder (eds.), Nations and Households in Economic Growth (Academic Press, New York).
GallupG. H.: 1976, ‘Human needs and satisfactions: A global survey’, Public Opinion Quarterly 41, pp. 459–467.
GlennN. and SimmonsJ. L.: 1967, ‘Are regional cultural differences diminishing?’, Public Opinion Quarterly 31, pp. 176–193.
HouseJ. S.: 1981, ‘Social indicators, social change, and social accounting’, in F. T.Juster and K. C.Land (eds.), Social Accounting Systems: Essays on the State of the Art (Academic Press, New York), pp. 421–452.
HymanH. H., J.Wright, and J.Reed: 1975, The Enduring Effects of Education (University of Chicago, Chicago).
d'IribarneP.: 1974, ‘The relationship between subjective and objective well-being’, in B.Strumpel (ed.), Subjective Elements of Well-Being (OECD, Paris).
KapteynA. and B.vanPraag: 1980, ‘Family composition and family welfare’, in J. L.Simon and J.DaVanzo (eds.), Research in Population Economics Vol. 2, (JAI Press, Greenwich, Connecticut), pp. 77–97.
KaufmanR. L.: 1983, ‘A structural decomposition of black-white earnings differentials’, American Journal of Sociology 89, pp. 585–611.
LandK. C.: 1983, ‘Social indicators’, in R. H.Turner and J. F.ShortJr. (eds.), Annual Review of Sociology 9 (Annual Reviews, Palo Alto, CA), pp. 1–26.
LiangJ. and FairchildT. J.: 1979, ‘Relative deprivation and perception of financial adequacy among the aged’, Journal of Gerontology, 34, pp. 746–759.
LiangJ., E.Kahana and E.Doherty: 1980, ‘Financial well-being among the aged: A further elaboration’, Journal of Gerontology 35, pp. 409–420.
LloydC. B. and B. T.Niemi: 1979, The Economics of Sex Differentials (Columbia University Press, New York).
PedhazurE. J.: 1982, Multiple Regression in Behavioral Research (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York).
ReedJ. S.: 1972, The Enduring South, (D.C. Heath, Lexington, MA).
StrumpelB.: 1974, ‘Economic well-being as an object of social measurement’, in B.Strumpel (ed.), Subjective Elements of Well-Being (OECD, Paris), pp. 75–122.
TreimanD. J. and P. A.Roos: 1983, ‘Sex and earnings in industrial society: A ninenation comparison’, American Journal of Sociology 89, pp. 612–650.
VanPraagB., T.Goedhart and A.Kapteyn: 1980, ‘The poverty line; A pilot survey in Europe’, Review of Economics and Statistics 62, pp. 461–465.
VanPraagB., J.Spit and H.van derStadt: 1982, ‘A comparison between the food poverty line and the Leyden poverty line’, Review of Economics and Statistics 64, pp. 691–694.
VaughanD. and C.Lancaster: 1980, ‘Income levels and their impact on two subjective measures of well-being: Some early speculations from work in progress’, 1979 Proceedings of the Section on Survey Research Methods (American Statistical Association, Washington, D.C.).
Yuchtman, (Yaar)E.: 1976, ‘Effects of social-psychological factors on subjective economic welfare’, in B.Strumpel (ed.), Economic Means for Human Needs: Social Indicators of Well-Being and Discontent (Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor, MI), pp. 107–130.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fletcher, C.N., Lorenz, F.O. Structural influences on the relationship between objective and subjective indicators of economic well-being. Social Indicators Research 16, 333–345 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00415130
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00415130