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Social Capital Dimensions and Subjective Well-Being: A Quantile Approach

Author

Listed:
  • Isabel Neira

    (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)

  • Maricruz Lacalle-Calderon

    (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

  • Marta Portela

    (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela)

  • Manuel Perez-Trujillo

    (Universidad Católica del Norte)

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of different dimensions of social capital (i.e., trust, social network and norms of civic engagement) on subjective well-being (SWB) at the individual level by attending to differences between the extremes of SWB distribution, that is, between the happiest and the unhappiest people. To this end, we use the 7th wave of the 2014 European Social Survey to run a quantile regression analysis to investigate whether any of these dimensions of social capital has a heterogeneous effect on the full distribution of well-being. We also perform a factor analysis to summarize the principal components of these three dimensions. Our results show that each dimension of social capital has a positive and significant correlation with SWB, but the different dimensions have a heterogeneous effect on the different quantiles of the well-being distribution. All of these dimensions of social capital have a stronger effect on the SWB of the least happy people in society than on the happiest.

Suggested Citation

  • Isabel Neira & Maricruz Lacalle-Calderon & Marta Portela & Manuel Perez-Trujillo, 2019. "Social Capital Dimensions and Subjective Well-Being: A Quantile Approach," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(8), pages 2551-2579, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:20:y:2019:i:8:d:10.1007_s10902-018-0028-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-018-0028-6
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    Cited by:

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    2. Hugo Briseño & Guillermo Estefani & Alejandra Núñez-Acosta & Manuel Soto-Pérez, 2022. "Urban Risks and Their Influence on Subjective Well-being Around the World," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1617-1636, April.
    3. Can Mavruk & Ersin Kıral & Gülsen Kıral, 2021. "Spatial Effects Over Time-Framed Happiness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 517-554, February.
    4. Muhammad Bahrudin & Robert Markus Zaka Lawang, 2023. "Investigating the Mediating Role of Social Capital in the Influence of Job Satisfaction on Subjective Well-Being among Librarians in Java Island, Indonesia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 7(6), pages 1288-1301, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social capital; Subjective well-being; Quantile regression;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C21 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Cross-Sectional Models; Spatial Models; Treatment Effect Models
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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