Annual of social work, Vol. 21 No. 2, 2014.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3935/ljsr.v21i2.15
TO LIVE IN MATERIAL WELL-BEING OR TO TRUST OTHERS MORE? STANDARD OF LIVING AND INTERPERSONAL TRUST AS PREDICTORS OF PERSONAL WELL-BEING IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS
Josip Burušić
orcid.org/0000-0002-0933-2189
; The Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Zagreb, Croatia
Maja Ribar
; Department of Psychology, The Centre for Croatian Studies University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Aleksandar Racz
orcid.org/0000-0002-3118-2623
; University of Applied Health Studies, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The research aims to determine the link between an individual’s personal well-being, general trust in others and estimated standard of living. The representative sample comprised4000 adult Croatian citizens and the testing was conducted with different age groups. Personal well-being was measured using the Personal Well-Being Index (Cummins, 2002). To gain an overall insight, statistical analyses were conducted at the Personal Well-Being Index level and at the level of satisfaction with each of the eight specific domains that form the Index, i.e. standard of living, health, achievements in life, personal relationships, personal safety, community connection, future security, spirituality.
It was established that overall personal well-being and satisfaction with most of the Index domains can be better predicted on the basis of generalised interpersonal trust in others than on the basis of one’s standard of living. Moreover, the research confirmed that the trust in others is an important well-being predictor in all age groups. On the other hand, standard of living has a higher predictive well-being value for older people than for the younger population. Attempts to find possible differences between men and women have not yielded any results. The analysis, however, did show a few distinctive gender differences within certain personal well-being domains, but they provide little explanation on the satisfaction with any given domain.
The research results are discussed in the framework of already existing knowledge in the field of subjective well-being and its determinants.
Keywords
personal well-being; generalised interpersonal trust; standard of living; age differences
Hrčak ID:
130734
URI
Publication date:
20.11.2014.
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