Subjective well-being among the elderly

Abstract

The main objective of this study is to explain and predict subjective well-being among the elderly as a function of their social location in society and the nature of their social networks. More specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions: First, how do the elderly perceive their well-being? Second, does social location in society, as defined by income and education, produce different perceptions of well-being? Third, how would interaction and receipt of goods and services in the social support network modify the impact of social location on subjective well-being?

Using the data of the National Survey on the Aged, 1975, conducted by Ethel Shanas, the study utilized a social structure and personality framework. as an approach to the problem. Through multiple regression analyses, the study found that the impact of social locational factors on subjective well-being among the elderly is not mediated by the pattern of social interaction in the social support network. Education was found to be an important correlate of subjective well-being among the elderly.