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Who is Left Behind? Altruism of Giving, Happiness and Mental Health during the Covid-19 Period in the UK

Author

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  • Eleftherios Giovanis

    (Manchester Metropolitan University, Business School
    Adnan Menderes University)

  • Oznur Ozdamar

    (Izmir University of Bakircay)

Abstract

The UK government has decided to implement lockdown measures at the end of March 2020 as a response to the outbreak and spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a consequence, households have experienced job losses and a significant drop in their finances. During these unprecedented and difficult times, people provide financial assistance to those who are in need and have to cope with falls in their living standards. In this study we are interested to investigate the subjective well-being, which is expressed by mental health and components of general happiness, of the givers rather than of receivers. We apply a difference-in-differences framework to investigate the impact of altruism on the givers’ SWB in the UK. Altruism is denoted by transfers made to adult children, parents, siblings, and friends. Using the DiD estimator and the estimated coefficient of the household income we calculate the implicit willingness-to-pay (WTP) for altruism. We perform various regressions by gender and racial-ethnic background using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). The analysis shows that altruistic behaviours impact different domains of SWB between men and women, as well as, among people with different racial-ethnic background.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleftherios Giovanis & Oznur Ozdamar, 2022. "Who is Left Behind? Altruism of Giving, Happiness and Mental Health during the Covid-19 Period in the UK," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(1), pages 251-276, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:17:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s11482-020-09900-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-020-09900-8
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    3. Kanu Priya Mohan & Narisara Peungposop & Pranav Kalra, 2023. "Psychosocial Influences on Coping and Wellbeing during the Covid-19 Lockdown in the Early Days of the Pandemic: A Mixed Methods Research," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 163-193, February.
    4. Angeles Sánchez & Eduardo Jiménez-Fernández, 2023. "European Union Cohesion Policy: Socio-Economic Vulnerability of the Regions and the COVID-19 Shock," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 195-228, February.
    5. Eirini Leriou, 2023. "Understanding and Measuring Child Well-being in the Region of Attica, Greece: Round Five," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(4), pages 1395-1451, August.

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