IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp16636.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Two Pandemic Years Greatly Reduced Young People's Life Satisfaction: Evidence from a Comparison with Pre-COVID-19 Panel Data

Author

Listed:
  • Neugebauer, Martin

    (University of Mannheim)

  • Patzina, Alexander

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

  • Dietrich, Hans

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg)

  • Sandner, Malte

    (Technische Hochschule Nürnberg)

Abstract

How much did young people suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic? A growing number of studies address this question, but they often lack a comparison group that was unaffected by the pandemic, and the observation window is usually short. Here, we compared the 2-year development of life satisfaction of German high school students during COVID-19 (N = 2,698) with the development in prepandemic cohorts (N = 4,834) with a difference-in-differences design. We found a decline in life satisfaction in winter 2020/2021 (Cohen's d = -0.40) that was approximately three times stronger than that in the general population and persisted until winter 2021/2022. Young people found some restrictions particularly burdensome, especially travel restrictions, bans on cultural events, and the closure of bars/clubs.

Suggested Citation

  • Neugebauer, Martin & Patzina, Alexander & Dietrich, Hans & Sandner, Malte, 2023. "Two Pandemic Years Greatly Reduced Young People's Life Satisfaction: Evidence from a Comparison with Pre-COVID-19 Panel Data," IZA Discussion Papers 16636, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16636
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp16636.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Daniel Kuehnle & Christoph Wunder, 2016. "Using the Life Satisfaction Approach to Value Daylight Savings Time Transitions: Evidence from Britain and Germany," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 2293-2323, December.
    2. Hainmueller, Jens, 2012. "Entropy Balancing for Causal Effects: A Multivariate Reweighting Method to Produce Balanced Samples in Observational Studies," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(1), pages 25-46, January.
    3. Cornaglia, Francesca & Crivellaro, Elena & McNally, Sandra, 2015. "Mental health and education decisions," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 1-12.
    4. Malte Sandner & Alexander Patzina & Silke Anger & Sarah Bernhard & Hans Dietrich, 2023. "The COVID-19 pandemic, well-being, and transitions to post-secondary education," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 461-483, June.
    5. Carmel Proctor & P. Linley & John Maltby, 2009. "Youth Life Satisfaction: A Review of the Literature," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 10(5), pages 583-630, October.
    6. Finiki Nearchou & Clodagh Flinn & Rachel Niland & Sheena Siva Subramaniam & Eilis Hennessy, 2020. "Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health Outcomes in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-19, November.
    7. Grewenig, Elisabeth & Lergetporer, Philipp & Werner, Katharina & Woessmann, Ludger & Zierow, Larissa, 2021. "COVID-19 and educational inequality: How school closures affect low- and high-achieving students," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    8. Danièle A. Gubler & Lisa M. Makowski & Stefan J. Troche & Katja Schlegel, 2021. "Loneliness and Well-Being During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Associations with Personality and Emotion Regulation," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 2323-2342, June.
    9. Theresa Entringer & Hannes Kröger, 2021. "Psychische Gesundheit im zweiten Covid-19 Lockdown in Deutschland," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1136, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    10. Aucejo, Esteban M. & French, Jacob & Ugalde Araya, Maria Paola & Zafar, Basit, 2020. "The impact of COVID-19 on student experiences and expectations: Evidence from a survey," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    11. Royston, Patrick & White, Ian R., 2011. "Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations (MICE): Implementation in Stata," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 45(i04).
    12. Chadi, Adrian, 2013. "The role of interviewer encounters in panel responses on life satisfaction," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 121(3), pages 550-554.
    13. Lea Ellwardt & Patrick Präg, 2021. "Heterogeneous Mental Health Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom," Working Papers 2021-07, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    14. Patzina, Alex & Collischon, Matthias & Kroh, Jacqueline, 2023. "The Gendered Effects of COVID-19 on Well-being: A Household Perspective," SocArXiv h2fa7, Center for Open Science.
    15. Johan Ormel & Siegwart Lindenberg & Nardi Steverink & Lois Verbrugge, 1999. "Subjective Well-Being and Social Production Functions," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 61-90, January.
    16. Katariina Salmela-Aro & Heta Tuominen-Soini, 2010. "Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction During the Transition to Post-Comprehensive Education: Antecedents and Consequences," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 11(6), pages 683-701, December.
    17. Tilmann Soest & Michal Kozák & Rubén Rodríguez-Cano & Sam Fluit & Laura Cortés-García & Vidar S. Ulset & E. F. Haghish & Anders Bakken, 2022. "Adolescents’ psychosocial well-being one year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(2), pages 217-228, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Malte Sandner & Alexander Patzina & Silke Anger & Sarah Bernhard & Hans Dietrich, 2023. "The COVID-19 pandemic, well-being, and transitions to post-secondary education," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 461-483, June.
    2. Matthias Siembab & Nico Stawarz, 2019. "How Does Life Satisfaction Change During the Transition from School to Work? A Study of Ninth and Tenth-Grade School-Leavers in Germany," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 165-183, January.
    3. Adrian Chadi & Clemens Hetschko, 2021. "How Job Changes Affect People's Lives — Evidence from Subjective Well‐Being Data," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(2), pages 279-306, June.
    4. Alderighi, Lorenzo & Ballatore, Rosario M. & Tonello, Marco, 2023. "Hidden drop-out: Secondary education (unseen) failure in pandemic times," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1293, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2021. "COVID-19 and College Academic Performance: A Longitudinal Analysis," IZA Discussion Papers 14113, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Adrian Chadi & Clemens Hetschko, 2018. "The magic of the new: How job changes affect job satisfaction," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 23-39, March.
    7. Fernanda Estevan & Lucas Finamor, 2022. "School closures and educational path: how the Covid-19 pandemic affected transitions to college," Papers 2210.00138, arXiv.org.
    8. Werner, Katharina & Woessmann, Ludger, 2021. "The Legacy of COVID-19 in Education," IZA Discussion Papers 14796, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Adrian Chadi & Clemens Hetschko, 2017. "Income or Leisure? On the Hidden Benefits of (Un-) Employment," IAAEU Discussion Papers 201706, Institute of Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU).
    10. Hardt, David & Nagler, Markus & Rincke, Johannes, 2022. "Can peer mentoring improve online teaching effectiveness? An RCT during the COVID-19 pandemic," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    11. Hardt, David & Nagler, Markus & Rincke, Johannes, 2023. "Tutoring in (online) higher education: Experimental evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    12. Major, Lee Elliott & Eyles, Andrew & Machin, Stephen, 2021. "Unequal learning and labour market losses in the crisis: consequences for social mobility," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 114413, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Preuss, Malte & Hennecke, Juliane, 2017. "Biased by success and failure: How unemployment shapes stated locus of control," Discussion Papers 2017/29, Free University Berlin, School of Business & Economics.
    14. Gunes, Pinar Mine & Tsaneva, Magda, 2020. "The effects of teenage childbearing on education, physical health, and mental distress: evidence from Mexico," Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 86(2), pages 183-206, June.
    15. Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2022. "COVID-19, college academic performance, and the flexible grading policy: A longitudinal analysis," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 207(C).
    16. Igor Esnaola & Manuel Benito & Iratxe Antonio-Agirre & Eloisa Ballina & Margarita Lorenzo, 2019. "Gender, Age and Cross-Cultural Differences in Life Satisfaction: a Comparison Between Spain and Mexico," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(6), pages 1935-1949, December.
    17. Nishihata, Masaya & Kobayashi, Yohei, 2024. "Inequalities in student learning and screen time due to COVID-19: Evidence from Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    18. Shinsuke Asakawa & Fumio Ohtake, 2021. "Impact of Temporary School Closure Due to COVID-19 on the Academic Achievement of Elementary School Students," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 21-14, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    19. Saija Mauno & Riikka Hirvonen & Noona Kiuru, 2018. "Children’s Life Satisfaction: The Roles of Mothers’ Work Engagement and Recovery from Work," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(5), pages 1373-1393, June.
    20. Sandner, Malte & Anger, Silke & Dietrich, Hans & Bernhard, Sarah & Patzina, Alexander, 2021. "The impact of Covid-19 related school policies on students in their final high school years," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242462, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; well-being; causal analysis; pandemic; adolescents; Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16636. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.