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Ageing, Health and Life Satisfaction of the Oldest Old: An Analysis for Germany

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Author Info

  • Gwozdz, Wencke

    () (Copenhagen Business School)

  • Sousa-Poza, Alfonso

    () (University of Hohenheim)

Abstract

This analysis uses data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) and the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to assess the effect of ageing and health on the life satisfaction of the oldest old (defined as 75 and older). We observe a U-shaped relationship between age and levels of life satisfaction for individuals aged between 16 and approximately 65. Thereafter, life satisfaction declines rapidly and the lowest absolute levels of life satisfaction are recorded for the oldest old. This decline is primarily attributable to low levels of perceived health. Once cohort effects are also controlled for, life satisfaction remains relatively constant across the lifespan.

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Bibliographic Info

Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 4053.

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Length: 40 pages
Date of creation: Mar 2009
Date of revision:
Publication status: published in: Social Indicators Research, 2010, 97(3), 325-339
Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4053

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Keywords: health; life satisfaction; oldest old;

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References

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  1. Ruut Veenhoven, 1999. "Quality-of-Life in Individualistic Society," Social Indicators Research, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 159-188, October.
  2. Fischer, Justina A.V. & Sousa-Poza, Alfonso, 2007. "Does Job Satisfaction Improve the Health of Workers? New Evidence Using Panel Data and Objective Measures of Health," IZA Discussion Papers 3256, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  3. Easterlin, Richard A., 2006. "Life cycle happiness and its sources: Intersections of psychology, economics, and demography," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 463-482, August.
  4. Kapteyn, Arie & Wansbeek, Tom & Buyze, Jeannine, 1978. "The dynamics of preference formation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 93-98.
  5. Smith, Jacqui, 2001. "Well-being and health from age 70 to 100: findings from the Berlin Aging Study," European Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(04), pages 461-477, October.
  6. James Horley & J. Lavery, 1995. "Subjective well-being and age," Social Indicators Research, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 275-282, February.
  7. Hendrik Jürges, 2006. "True Health vs. Response Styles: Exploring Cross-country Differences in Self-reported Health," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 588, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
  8. Chaonan Chen, 2001. "Aging and Life Satisfaction," Social Indicators Research, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 57-79, April.
  9. Ada Ferrer-i-Carbonell & Paul Frijters, 2004. "How Important is Methodology for the estimates of the determinants of Happiness?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 114(497), pages 641-659, 07.
  10. Ruut Veenhoven, 1996. "Developments in satisfaction-research," Social Indicators Research, Springer, vol. 37(1), pages 1-46, January.
  11. Clark, Andrew E., 2007. "Born To Be Mild? Cohort Effects Don’t (Fully) Explain Why Well-Being Is U-Shaped in Age," IZA Discussion Papers 3170, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  12. Bert G.M. Van Landeghem, 2008. "Human Well-Being over the Life Cycle: Longitudinal Evidence from a 20-Year Panel," LICOS Discussion Papers 21308, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
  13. Andrew E. Clark & Andrew J. Oswald, 2006. "The curved relationship between subjective well-being and age," PSE Working Papers halshs-00590404, HAL.
  14. Qiang Li, 2005. "Subjective well-being and mortality in Chinese oldest old," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2005-011, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
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Cited by:
  1. Van Landeghem, Bert, 2012. "A test for the convexity of human well-being over the life cycle: Longitudinal evidence from a 20-year panel," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 571-582.
  2. Fischer, Justina AV, 2009. "Happiness and age cycles – return to start…," MPRA Paper 15249, University Library of Munich, Germany.
  3. Bert Van Landeghem, 2012. "Panel Conditioning and Self-Reported Satisfaction: Evidence from International Panel Data and Repeated Cross-Sections," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 484, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
  4. Wunder, Christoph & Wiencierz, Andrea & Schwarze, Johannes & Küchenhoff, Helmut & Kleyer, Sara & Bleninger, Philipp, 2009. "Well-Being over the Life Span: Semiparametric Evidence from British and German Longitudinal Data," IZA Discussion Papers 4155, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  5. Gregori Baetschmann, 2011. "Heterogeneity in the relationship between happiness and age: Evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel," ECON - Working Papers 047, Department of Economics - University of Zurich.
  6. Gregori Baetschmann, 2012. "Heterogeneity in the Relationship between Happiness and Age: Evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 472, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

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