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Are Happy Youth Also Satisfied Adults? An Analysis of the Impact of Childhood Factors on Adult Life Satisfaction

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  • Sarah Jewell
  • Uma Kambhampati

Abstract

This paper aims to consider whether there is a link between youth happiness levels and adult life satisfaction. Our results are unequivocal that such a link exists both because demographic and socio-economic conditions are persistent over a lifetime and also because there is a persistence in personality effects. To test this link, we estimate a model of happiness for a sample of young people. This model provides us with a range of variables measuring socio-economic effects and personality effects amongst young people. These variables are then included in the adult life satisfaction model. The model is estimated using data from the British Household Panel Survey for 1994–2008. In addition to childhood happiness levels influencing adult life satisfaction significantly, we also find that the youthful personality trait for happiness has a larger effect on adult life satisfaction than demographic and socio-economic conditions. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Sarah Jewell & Uma Kambhampati, 2015. "Are Happy Youth Also Satisfied Adults? An Analysis of the Impact of Childhood Factors on Adult Life Satisfaction," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 121(2), pages 543-567, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:121:y:2015:i:2:p:543-567
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-014-0642-6
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    2. Yuanlin Gu & Hua-Liang Wei, 2018. "Significant Indicators and Determinants of Happiness: Evidence from a UK Survey and Revealed by a Data-Driven Systems Modelling Approach," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Qingqing Nie & Lili Tian & E. Scott Huebner, 2020. "Relations among Family Dysfunction, Loneliness and Life Satisfaction in Chinese Children: a Longitudinal Mediation Model," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(3), pages 839-862, June.
    4. Kevin Tze-wai Wong & Victor Zheng & Po-san Wan, 2017. "A Dissatisfied Generation? An Age–Period–Cohort Analysis of the Political Satisfaction of Youth in Hong Kong from 1997 to 2014," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 253-276, January.
    5. Genevieve Gariepy & Frank J Elgar & Mariane Sentenac & Christopher Barrington-Leigh, 2017. "Early-life family income and subjective well-being in adolescents," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(7), pages 1-11, July.
    6. Xiaofeng Xu & Qingqing Nie & Wang Liu & E. Scott Huebner & Lili Tian, 2022. "Children’s Life Satisfaction: Developmental Trajectories and Environmental and Personality Predictors," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2805-2826, August.

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