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Heterogeneity in the relationship between happiness and age: evidence from the German socio-economic panel


Baetschmann, Gregori (2011). Heterogeneity in the relationship between happiness and age: evidence from the German socio-economic panel. Working paper series / Department of Economics No. 47, University of Zurich.

Abstract

This paper studies the evolution of life satisfaction over the life course in Germany. It clarifies the causal interpretation of the econometric model by discussing the choice of control variables and the underidentification between age, cohort and time effects. The empirical part analyzes the distribution of life satisfaction over the life course at the aggregated, subgroup and individual level. To the findings: On average, life satisfaction is mildly decreasing up to age fifty-five followed by a hump shape with a maximum at seventy. The analysis at the lower levels suggests that people differ in their life satisfaction trends, whereas the hump shape after age fifty-five is robust. No important differences between men and women are found. In contrast, education groups differ in their trends: highly educated people become happier over the life cycle, where life satisfaction decreases for less educated people.

Abstract

This paper studies the evolution of life satisfaction over the life course in Germany. It clarifies the causal interpretation of the econometric model by discussing the choice of control variables and the underidentification between age, cohort and time effects. The empirical part analyzes the distribution of life satisfaction over the life course at the aggregated, subgroup and individual level. To the findings: On average, life satisfaction is mildly decreasing up to age fifty-five followed by a hump shape with a maximum at seventy. The analysis at the lower levels suggests that people differ in their life satisfaction trends, whereas the hump shape after age fifty-five is robust. No important differences between men and women are found. In contrast, education groups differ in their trends: highly educated people become happier over the life cycle, where life satisfaction decreases for less educated people.

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Additional indexing

Item Type:Working Paper
Communities & Collections:03 Faculty of Economics > Department of Economics
Working Paper Series > Department of Economics
Dewey Decimal Classification:330 Economics
JEL Classification:C23, I31, D91
Uncontrolled Keywords:Aging, life satisfaction, well-being, happiness methodology, Zufriedenheit, Altern, Bildung
Language:English
Date:November 2011
Deposited On:25 Nov 2011 10:13
Last Modified:18 Mar 2022 09:38
Series Name:Working paper series / Department of Economics
Number of Pages:32
ISSN:1664-7041
OA Status:Green
Official URL:http://www.econ.uzh.ch/static/wp/econwp047.pdf
Related URLs:http://www.econ.uzh.ch/static/workingpapers.php