Life Satisfaction in Urban China: Components and Determinants

Song, Lina and Appleton, Simon (2008): Life Satisfaction in Urban China: Components and Determinants.

Abstract

Survey data from urban China in 2002 show levels of life satisfaction to be low, but not exceptionally so, by international comparison. Many of the determinants of life satisfaction in urban China appear comparable to those for people in other countries. These include, inter alia, unemployment, income, marriage, sex, health and age. Communist Party membership and political participation raise life satisfaction. People appear fairly satisfied with economic growth and low inflation, and this contributes to their overall life satisfaction. There is dissatisfaction over pollution, but this – like job insecurity – does not appear to impact on life satisfaction.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: life satisfaction, happiness, economic growth, unemployment, China
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D63 - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I31 - General Welfare, Well-Being; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I3 - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty > I38 - Government Policy ; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J18 - Public Policy

References

Appleton, Simon, John Knight, Lina Song and Qingjie Xia (2006), “The economics of Communist Party membership – the curious case of rising number and wage premium in urban China”, forthcoming, Journal of Development Studies.

Appleton, Simon, Appleton, S., Lina Song and Qingjie Xia (2005), “Has China Crossed the River? The Evolution of Wage Structure in China”, Journal of Comparative Eco