ABSTRACT. This study examines life satisfaction among residents of peripheral university communities in Kumasi, Ghana, using survey data from 322 participants. The research explores the interplay of demographic factors, local conditions, public services, and perceptions of the university’s role in fostering community well-being. Over 130 variables were analyzed, covering domains such as housing, utilities, safety, social interactions, and overall quality of life. A mixed-methods approach was employed to capture the nuances of life satisfaction. Quantitative data were collected through structured surveys, focusing on residents’ socio-demographic profiles, perceptions of their living conditions, and satisfaction with various aspects of life. Responses were coded and analyzed using statistical techniques, including regression models, to identify predictors of satisfaction. The analysis revealed significant variability in life satisfaction across demographic subgroups. Residents aged 40–57 reported lower life satisfaction compared to younger and older groups, likely due to economic pressures during mid-life. Women expressed greater dissatisfaction with public safety and healthcare services, highlighting gendered disparities in service perceptions. Long-term residents reported diminishing satisfaction with infrastructure and local development, reflecting unmet expectations over time. Perceptions of local conditions and public services also emerged as critical factors. While parks and recreational facilities were well-regarded, concerns about street lighting, high utility costs, and inadequate sanitation services were prevalent. These gaps highlight areas requiring targeted policy interventions. The study also examined the role of the university in fostering community well-being. Frequent interactions with university students and staff were associated with higher trust in the institution and greater recognition of its contributions to social cohesion, cultural life, and economic opportunities. However, less than one-third of respondents felt the university reciprocated community support effectively, suggesting the need for stronger partnerships and inclusive decision-making. By addressing disparities in public services and strengthening university-community collaboration, stakeholders can foster more inclusive and resilient communities.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the relationship between food security and subjective well-being (SWB) in Tanzania, focusing on how various dimensions of food security impact general life satisfaction, food-related well-being, health, and income-related well-being. Using data from the 7th to 10th waves of the Tanzania High Frequency Welfare Monitoring Phone Survey (HFWMPS), the analysis employs Correlated Random Effects (CRE) probit models to assess the effects of food insecurity on SWB while controlling for demographic and household characteristics. The results show that food insecurity significantly reduces general SWB, with individuals reporting lower satisfaction in life when facing food scarcity, skipping meals, or having limited access to healthy food. In contrast, food security is positively associated with food-related, health-related, and income-related SWB, suggesting that improved access to nutritious food enhances well-being across multiple domains. Societal factors, such as food availability and prices, are found to significantly influence food insecurity and SWB, with the availability of staple foods like maize flour and rice reducing food insecurity, while rising food prices exacerbate it. These findings emphasize the importance of policies aimed at improving food security, controlling food prices, and increasing the availability of essential foods to enhance overall well-being. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers seeking to improve human welfare through targeted interventions in food security

ABSTRACT. Urban nature’s impact on well-being is well-studied, but its broader socio-economic effects, such as increased productivity to promote well-being efficiency, remain less understood. We use mixed methods to explore the mechanisms linking urban nature, well-being, and productivity. Our approach includes a literature review, an EU-wide database on urban nature-based solutions (NBS), and survey data from a mid-sized Dutch city. We focus on the micro-foundations of wellbeing productivity that will feed into the global level analysis of macro-indicators of wellbeing efficiency. Our starting point is consistent evidence that disadvantaged populations bear the highest potential to benefit the most from improvements in urban environments. Our literature review highlights that green and blue urban spaces influence economic output and well-being. High-quality environments attract skilled populations, boosting economic growth, while poor conditions, such as air pollution, negatively affect health and productivity. Additionally, specific areas serve as natural habitats for certain groups, enhancing their well-being and economic performance. Our review of the UNA database, covering over 1,000 NBS projects across EU cities, reveals that 20% of interventions specifically target disadvantaged populations. These projects focus on creating new green spaces, revitalizing parks, and establishing food production areas. They have shown to result in enhancement of social interactions, improvement of access to green spaces, and contribution to better physical and mental well-being for disadvantaged groups. We also conduct data collection in a disadvantaged neighborhood undergoing green and blue regeneration of mid-sized Dutch city. The survey aims to assess how municipal efforts on improvement of urban green and blue environment connect to resident well-being and their socio-economic performance. Findings will inform urban planners and policymakers on integrating green urban interventions to enhance quality of life and economic outcomes.

ABSTRACT. The degree of social capital (i.e. social cohesion) is positively related to economic growth and well-being within communities. Currently, the degree of social capital in Europe and the United States is low. Conversely, the degree of social capital in Sub-Saharan Africa is high. A high degree of social capital can buffer against the negative impact of a weak social welfare state on well-being, especially during periods of economic crises. The current study investigates the role of social capital in Sub-Saharan Africa. Specifically, this study seeks to generate insights on how social capital can be sustained and to identify which individuals or groups of people benefit most from social capital, which is currently understudied. To investigate this topic, this study adopts a quantitative approach. Specifically, we will use data from the Gallup World Poll, the Afrobarometer, and the MICS database to examine key variables, focusing on residents of Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania. Thus, this study contributes to the literature on happiness and well-being by identifying the factors and mechanisms that foster environments conducive to economic growth and well-being. Additionally, the results of this study will help policymakers create policies and initiatives that will lead to sustainable social capital within communities and also to optimize the policies and initiatives to maximise economic benefits. This will create a more prosperous and thriving Sub-Saharan Africa.

ABSTRACT. A smart city is a comprehensive urban planning model that seeks to address challenges from multiple perspectives and mitigate risks to the well-being of the community. It is evident that the concept of welfare has implications for the happiness of the community. A happy community is an indicator of the success of the local government in achieving its development goals. The concept of happiness is not solely contingent upon material success; rather, it is also dependent upon the interpretation of the process and outcomes of development as beneficial for all stakeholders, including the state, government, society, and external policy makers. This study employs a qualitative method with a case study approach. The findings of this research indicate that, thus far, smart city practices have been implemented in various forms and have had an impact on the community in Madiun City. This achievement is evidenced by progress in a number of development sectors, including social, economic, environmental, technological, and other developments. In conclusion, the government of Madiun City has organized a smart city, resulting in a multitude of positive impacts on the community. It is important to note, however, that strengthening leadership and governance is a crucial step, given the reality that changes in leadership have resulted in shifts in policy. Furthermore, it is essential to establish a comprehensive legal framework to oversee the smart city program. Currently, the only basis for the policy is the mayor's regulation in Madiun City, which is insufficient for ensuring the program's success.

ABSTRACT. For nearly four decades, Social Weather Stations (SWS, www.sws.org.ph), a private, non-stock, non-profit, and non-partisan social research institution, has been monitoring the social weather in the Philippines through the public's perspective. Utilizing scientific surveys with at least 1,200 representative adults nationwide, SWS employs multi-stage sampling with probability proportional to population size to select provinces and barangays (villages), systematically identifies dwelling units, and randomly chooses a qualified respondent within each sampled household.

Key indicators measured include changes in personal quality of life, expectations for personal and economic change, self-rated poverty, experiences of involuntary hunger, self-rated food poverty, adult joblessness, self-reported crime victimization, neighborhood safety concerns, visibility of drug use, and satisfaction with the president, national government, key institutions, and administration performance on issues such as poverty alleviation, corruption eradication, inflation control, foreign relations, and crime prevention.

Since its inception, the SWS surveys have been conducted semiannually (1986–1991) and quarterly (since 1992), covering seven presidential administrations: Corazon Aquino (1986–1992), Fidel Ramos (1992–1998), Joseph Estrada (1998–2001), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001–2010), Benigno Simeon Aquino III (2010–2016), Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022), and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (2022–present). These surveys provide a consistent lens through which to view the social weather of the Philippines, a mission that SWS continues to uphold.

ABSTRACT. Background: Timor Leste's history of conflict and trauma has significantly impacted the mental health of its population, leading to high levels of psychological distress. This study aims to investigate the relationships between mindfulness, cognitive fusion, coping strategies, and psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) among psychological workers in Timor Leste. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed, involving a convenience sample of psychological workers from PRADET and the national referral hospital in Dili. Mindfulness was assessed using the Toronto Mindfulness Questionnaire (TMQ), psychological flexibility using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), cognitive fusion was measured using the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ), and coping strategies were evaluated using the DBT-Ways of Coping Checklist (DBT-WCCL). Depression, anxiety, and stress were measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). All scales were using the Bahasa Indonesia validated versions. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Results: Strong positive correlations were observed between mindfulness facets (curiosity and de-centering) and cognitive fusion (r = 0.736, p < .001). Cognitive fusion was significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety (r = 0.527, p < .001), stress (r = 0.519, p < .001), and depression (r = 0.486, p < .01). Dysfunctional coping strategies, particularly blaming others (r = 0.340, p < .05), also showed significant correlations with cognitive fusion. Multiple regression analyses revealed that cognitive fusion significantly predicted increased levels of depression (β = 0.418, p < .05), anxiety (β = 0.491, p < .05), and stress (β = 0.482, p < .05). Conversely, coping strategies involving skills use were linked to a significant reduction in depression (β = -19.697, p < .05). Conclusion: The findings highlight the critical roles of cognitive fusion and coping strategies in predicting psychological distress among mental health workers in Timor Leste.

ABSTRACT. Access to formal financial services (including formal financial institutions) is essential to women’s economic and social empowerment. Past studies have shown that financial services positively impact women’s control over resources (economic) by expanding access to such services. Yet, women globally face barriers to accessing financial services, including lack of identity proof, mobile phone, and distance to nearest bank branch. Women face many issues at home as well as in the workplace. This trend has been continuing in the 21st century in a variety of forms. Working women face more. Access to credit, that is, a formal bank account, will have a more significant impact on economic development. Economic development in terms of economic growth, reducing poverty and inequality, increasing business and entrepreneurship, rising educational outcomes and health-related outcomes, and, more importantly, access to formal credit or bank accounts (financial inclusion) will improve women’s autonomy and power in the family. It also has a more significant impact on the decision-making and bargaining power in the household.

The study uses India’s most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4 and 5). Further, we also use the data from the FINDEX. The results indicate a greater likelihood of bank accounts for those working. Our results are robust to various sample restrictions, alternative methods of estimation, and the inclusion of additional controls. Our findings highlight the significance of emphasizing women's employment status and enhancing financial literacy and access to digital and mobile financial inclusion, which will have a more significant policy impact.

ABSTRACT. Decreased trust, negative sentiment and social cohesion within a country often lead to significant socioeconomic repercussions. However, these issues can become especially critical when collective compliance is necessary to survive a crisis. In this study, we use machine learning algorithms: Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) prediction model and Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to determine the importance of factors (features) that contribute to compliance during a crisis. We utilise the recent COVID-19 pandemic as a case study for a time of crisis and consider whether subjective measures, including the level of happiness and evaluative measures of the government and vaccines, contribute to compliance during a time of crisis. We train our data using XGBoost, and our target output variable is the percentage of vaccinated individuals relative to the eligible population to receive the vaccine. We rely on SHAP to visualise the importance of the overall features and their effect on the model's predictions. If measures of subjective well-being are important, they will rank high on the summary plot. Using SHAP's dependence plot will help us to examine the relationship between happiness and government and vaccine evaluations and compliance predictions. If compliance increases with higher values of these features, it suggests a positive relationship. These features mostly have non-linear relationships to compliance, and using the dependence plots, we derive the thresholds for which the feature significantly contributes to the Shapley predictions. Our dataset spans ten countries in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. It includes variables related to public health responses and regulations, vaccines, country characteristics, evaluations of the government and vaccines and the level of happiness within countries. Our results provide actionable policy insights to increase compliance with public policies, including subjective and evaluative factors, which are ranked as some of the most important features that drive compliance.

ABSTRACT. Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is increasingly used to collect data on experienced wellbeing. This reflects both the increasing availability of smartphones, making data collection easier and less costly, as well as the ability of smartphone-based EMA to link measures of experienced wellbeing to specific places, times, and contexts. There is already a growing literature using geographical information systems to explore how landscape features affect experienced wellbeing. However, these studies are limited by the availability of geographic layers containing relevant information.

Datasets such as Google Streetview contain a wealth of detailed geographic information that could, in principle, affect experienced wellbeing. However, image data cannot be used directly in the analysis of experienced wellbeing without first identifying what the image shows. Given that even relatively small EMA datasets have hundreds or thousands of observations, the time cost of classifying such images by hand is prohibitive. Using an EMA dataset collected via smartphone app in Auckland New Zealand this paper explores how characteristics of the urban environment impact on experienced wellbeing. Machine learning is used to classify image data from Auckland corresponding to the GPS co-ordinates associated with EMA responses.

A regression model with individual fixed effects is then used to estimate the impact of different characteristics of the urban environment on experienced wellbeing. The importance of environmental factors previously identified in the literature – such as green space and proximity to water – is confirmed. We also find evidence that other factors – such as the proportion of the respondent’s viewshed that is obstructed and the number of people in the reference image – are also associated with experienced wellbeing. However, results are sensitive both to the image dataset used and the choice of prompts suggesting that further methodological work and testing is required.

ABSTRACT. The Human Flourishing Program aims to promote well-being through interdisciplinary research in social sciences, philosophy, and psychology, exploring factors like health, life satisfaction, purpose, character, and relationships.

Our research focuses on analyzing Harvard’s CGA Geotweets Archive v2.0, a dataset of ~10 billion geo-tagged, multilingual tweets from 164 countries, spanning 2010–2023. This vast archive provides a unique opportunity to examine 46 dimensions of human flourishing through fine-tuned Large Language Models (LLMs). By leveraging this global dataset, we aim to uncover insights into happiness, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, social relationships, and financial stability across diverse cultures and contexts.

This analysis will complement the Global Flourishing Study (GFS), a five-year longitudinal project measuring flourishing in six key areas with 200,000 participants from over 20 countries. Comparing insights from the tweet archive with GFS findings allows for a novel integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches to understanding human flourishing on a global scale.

ABSTRACT. Media choices can serve as a reflection of personal wellbeing, with music and films playing key roles in emotional regulation and mood enhancement. This study analyzes the characteristics of songs and movies that individuals associate with feeling good, using LLM-based processes to derive metadata attributes such as tempo, key, genre, and narrative themes. By examining these features, we aim to identify patterns that correlate with positive emotional responses to provide therapeutic guidance on media consumption choices.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the impact of the UEFA European Football Championship on host cities, focusing on the perceived quality of life in key urban services, including public spaces, public transport, green spaces, sports facilities, and cultural amenities. We exploit data from the Quality of Life in European Cities Survey and employ a staggered timing Difference-in-Differences approach. The staggered timing Difference-in-Differences (DiD) approach is a method used in econometrics to evaluate the causal effects of a treatment or policy when different units (e.g., individuals, firms, or regions) are exposed to the treatment at different points in time. This method extends the traditional DiD framework to account for variations in the timing of treatment implementation, allowing researchers to control for time-varying unobserved factors and estimate more reliable treatment effects. The results show significant improvements in public spaces, sports facilities and cultural amenities in host cities, while no substantial changes are observed in green spaces or public transport. These findings provide valuable insights into understanding how major sporting events can impact on urban services and the quality of life of citizens offering useful implications for policy design.

ABSTRACT. Places are crucial for ensuring a high quality of life for local populations, especially as drastic global and accelerating changes—such as climate change or technological transformation—reshape human experiences. Various spaces—such as squares, riverbanks, and cafés—meet essential human needs like identity, participation, and understanding, contributing to better living conditions. They reveal how people interact with and within their local environments. Identifying these non-material connections offers municipalities opportunities to implement socio-spatial planning policies that move beyond conventional growth- or market-driven frameworks. We introduce the concept of “charismatic places,” referring to locations that hold exceptional value for individuals' quality of life, deserving targeted preservation efforts. Using the Human Scale Development Matrix (HSDM) of Fundamental Human Needs, we systematically assess how the local scale contributes to well-being. A mobile methodology—including walking interviews, oral histories, and drawings—applied in a Catalan village demonstrates HSDM’s capacity to (1) link local areas with quality of life, (2) emphasize the importance of social relations, and (3) provide an alternative view of local environments that transcends commodification. This approach advances rural spatial planning by integrating human-centric and relational dimensions.

ABSTRACT. Urban green spaces (UGS) enhance mental health and promote physical activities for residents. The proximity and quality of UGS are the main concerns related to their accessibility in research and planning practice. However, the environmental quality on the way to UGS is often ignored, even if it can influence the willingness to visit and therefore diminish benefits from UGS. This study used environmental attributes including air quality, noise, visual greenery and traffic speed to assess the route quality on the way to UGS. With this data, we modelled walking routes from residential areas to the nearest UGS (>1.5 ha) and the nearest large UGS (>10 ha) in Helsinki, Finland. We found approximately 25% of Helsinki’s residents need to travel through poor environmental conditions to the nearest UGS. Routes of similar length can exhibit significant differences in environmental quality, indicating that proximity to UGS does not necessarily guarantee a pleasant or healthy walking experience. Access quality to large UGS is lower, underscoring the importance for planners to prioritize high-quality walking routes when designing access to recreational activities. Furthermore, our findings reveal a clear spatial segregation between and within neighborhoods in terms of the distance to UGS and environmental quality on the way. In addition, this study also provides a methodological approach for evaluating the environmental quality of UGS access, which can be adapted to diverse contexts. Our results indicate that relying solely on distance-based metrics may overlook inequalities in UGS access quality and underestimate regional differences. While single-dimensional accessibility indicators are straightforward to quantify, there is a need to complement them with multidimensional accessibility metrics that link distance measures to environmental route quality data to guide planners in understanding whether the city needs to improve quantity, quality or fair distribution of UGS access.

ABSTRACT. Well-being is a multidimensional concept that extends beyond monetary factors. In recent decades, new multidimensional methodologies have been developed, providing new insights into the characteristics and dynamics of different socioeconomic conditions. This literature also reveals that the estimation of multidimensional measures presents many challenges. One main challenge is dealing with and combining different data types, such as cardinal and ordinal, into a single index. Each type of variable has different scales of measurement, which limits the meaningful mathematical operations we can perform, may restrict the information we can grasp from each indicator, and makes it difficult to measure certain aspects of social conditions.

This paper aims to propose a novel class of measures that are simple and meaningful, respect mathematical operations, and consolidate axioms, while exploring the available information in each variable, regardless of whether the data is ordinal or cardinal. The methodology combines counting and fuzzy approaches, such as the Alkire-Foster method and the Integrated Fuzzy and Relative approach, to construct a comprehensive indicator that represents the many dimensions of well-being and lack of well-being, and aspects such as the percentage of the population with less favorable well-being, the average sufficiency among the population with less favorable well-being, and the relative distribution position to identify people left behind.

The index captures both absolute and relative aspects, offering a comprehensive representation of social conditions. Additionally, the approach proposed is designed to be flexible, making it potentially compatible with various theoretical frameworks and applications, including the capability measure as theorized by Sen and applications at regional and local levels.

ABSTRACT. How can we better assess the evolution of socio-economic and ecological situations and transitions in territories (Hachaichi, Talandier, 2023) ? Although ecological issues often know no boundaries, territories are facing up - by political will or necessity - to social-ecological and economic sustainability. Urbanized areas are also heavily affected, both in terms of “epicenter” of ecological crises, but also “remedy” (Moavenzadeh et al., 2002; Hachaichi, 2020). With the territorialisation of public action, there is a growing need for new territorial indicators (Jany-Catrice & Marlier, 2013; Tanguay et al. 2009). This research looked at how to define the “ecological quality” of a territory, taking seriously the importance of deliberative values in a context of ecological challenges. (Noorgardt, 2007; Spash, 2008). We have distanced ourselves from economic expertise (monetarized indicators), which can only convey weak sustainability, and from survey-based legitimacy, which, although it may have heuristic virtues, is based on the problematic epistemic presupposition that the sum of individual preferences is the vector of social preference. We have opted for a deliberative consultation process, because “the principle of democratic inclusion brings significant epistemic benefits” (Cambell, 1995 ; Dewey, 2003; Stern, 2005). We have also done so because of the growing complexity of the issues (Nowotny et al., 2001) and the importance of ecosystem-centric accounts (Feger, Mermet, 2021). We will focus on an element of research that we can summarize as follows: what does the process do to the result? We compare an index of territorial ecological quality that we have constructed on an expert basis, based on academic work on the one hand, and on the other hand a territorial ecological quality index built using a deliberative approach, drawing on intermediary organizations and citizens. This deliberative approach has been applied to two French territories: the Hauts-de-France, and the Rouen-Normandie Metropolis.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the lessons learned from developing and implementing the Citizen Prosperity Index (CPI) over the last decade. The CPI is a citizen-led, co-produced, hyper-local prosperity measure novel in its approach. It starts with residents defining what it means to live a prosperous life, leading to co-creating locally- and culturally specific models of prosperity. This involves in-depth qualitative research with 'citizen social scientists' - residents trained to work as social researchers in their communities - to identify neighbourhood priorities, aspirations, and challenges. The CPI methodology recognises that knowledge innovation alone is insufficient to ensure action or long-term changes in policy and practice. Decision-making and governance frameworks must include research and evidence to integrate knowledge effectively. While citizens and communities lead the process, a broader group of stakeholders (e.g., local authorities, policymakers, and non-governmental organisations) form a coalition of actors with varying capacities to respond to the generated knowledge. This collaborative approach, built on co-production, transparency, and inclusivity principles, fosters more democratic and accountable forms of knowledge. The CPI's hyper-local focus allows for more targeted policy responses, addressing specific neighbourhood concerns. The paper describes the Index's design, including how indicators are created, validated, and integrated into a composite measure. Using examples from London and Dar es Salaam, we demonstrate how CPI data informs policymaking and resource allocation while serving as a platform for community-led interventions. The Index has stimulated local debate, increased civic engagement, and provided a tangible framework for assessing new programs. The CPI methodology, developed and tested in collaboration with diverse stakeholders from the UK, Lebanon, Tanzania, and Kenya, will be implemented in several EU countries in 2025/26. We conclude by discussing the CPI's broader implications for renewing democracy and enabling more inclusive forms of progress measurement.

ABSTRACT. This special session invites exploration of how ordinary people can be involved in the selection of alternative indicators. In this presentation, I will present a study conducted on behalf of DG RTD in 2024 in which we reviewed eight initiatives across Europe that engaged citizens to explore how they understand wellbeing / the good life, with a view to informing measurement processes. The presentation will compare the methods used, populations considered, and relative successes of the different initiatives. It will develop tentative recommendations for how future processes could be developed that stand a better chance of helping societies move beyond GDP.

ABSTRACT. How income influences people’s happiness and life satisfaction has been thoroughly debated for decades. However, less attention has been paid to the role of consumption, the primary driver of the current ecological crisis. This paper contributes to this debate by utilizing a new synthetic fused dataset that integrates data on consumption from the Household Budget Survey (HBS) with data on individuals’ subjective well-being from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) for the 27 European Union (EU) Member States. The following research questions are investigated: What is the relationship between consumption and life satisfaction at the EU level? And, when does increased consumption cease to yield significant gains in life satisfaction?

The relationship between consumption and life satisfaction is modeled using a generalized additive model (GAM), optimized for each EU Member State. The econometric methods used represent an improvement over previous studies, which have been limited by the use of linear-log forms to model the relationship and the application of GAMs without optimization techniques that ensure robust results. Our results show a concave curve defining the relationship between life satisfaction and consumption for the EU. A strong increase in life satisfaction is observed up to about $20,000 PPP of annual consumption per equivalent adult, after which the curve flattens. These results align with expectations of a significant increase in subjective well-being until basic needs are satisfied or a decent standard of living is reached, after which further consumption increases have diminishing marginal effects. There is no evidence of satiation, but positive marginal effects become negligible at around $80,000 PPP of annual consumption per equivalent adult in the EU. We explore the policy implications of these results to inform climate policies, focusing on reducing inequality while meeting emissions reduction targets.

ABSTRACT. This study aimed to connect the behavioral corporate finance (micro level) perspective with complexity theory via agent-based modeling to analyze the impact of selected psychological factors of chief executive officers (CEOs) on stock market volatility (macro level). Specifically, we wanted to explore whether the subjective well-being (SWB) of Polish CEOs influenced their managerial decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it might be related to the volatility of stock prices during this critical period in Poland. Our study was based on a survey of Polish CEOs who managed companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In particular, 255 CEOs completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and a business survey on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on company management. Using the results of this survey, we built an agent-based model to investigate how CEOs’ decision-making, stemming from their SWB levels, influences the perception of prices by individual traders and, in turn, how it is translated into aggregate stock market volatility. The results indicate the pathways through which the microscopic-level SWB of CEOs influences market price formation at a macroscopic level. The findings obtained from our model may shed new light on the rational expectations theory applied to stock market volatility during the financial crisis.

ABSTRACT. Research Question:What happens to workers’ subjective wellbeing after they join or leave a labor union? Background: While past research links union membership with higher job and life satisfaction, most studies focus narrowly on job satisfaction, with limited panel data—especially after 2018. This study addresses those gaps using U.S. panel data from 2022–2024 and a “union switching” analysis inspired by Bryson & White (2016). Data & Method: We use Gallup Panel data from three waves (June 2022, May 2023, May 2024), covering 16,004 U.S. adult workers. Respondents were grouped by union status: Never, Always, Switched In, or Switched Out. We analyzed eleven wellbeing metrics—job satisfaction, six “work wellbeing” aspects (e.g., trust in management, feeling respected), and four general metrics (life satisfaction, hope, stress, anger)—using OLS regressions with person fixed effects. Analyses were split between workers who stayed with the same employer (n = 12,495) and those who changed employers (n = 3,509). Results: Among workers who stayed with the same employer, those who joined unions showed no wellbeing changes, while those who left unions experienced more anger and less trust in management. Among those who changed employers, joining a union was linked to improvements in four areas: hope, stress, job satisfaction, and team connection. Leaving a union was associated with declines across all seven work-related wellbeing metrics. Implications:Leaving a union—whether voluntary or not—is tied to measurable wellbeing losses, suggesting a stronger negative impact than the positive effects of joining. These findings highlight the asymmetric effects of union transitions and the need to consider both job-related and broader wellbeing outcomes in labor research and policy.

ABSTRACT. This paper applies deep learning methods, specifically the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model, to household survey data for Indonesia collected 5-12 months after the devastating 2004 boxing day tsunami, to estimate pre-tsunami health spending (that is not available in the data). The estimated pre-tsunami data and the actual post-tsunami health data are then used to look at how changes to households’ health spending varied by tsunami intensity. The data for which extrapolation into the past come from the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (http://stardata.org), and contain a rich tapestry of post-tsunami data encompassing 5468 households with varying degrees of exposure to the disaster. To train the LSTM model we use data from a different survey, the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) waves for 2000 and 2007. Around 10% of the sample of 2772 households in this survey experienced the devastating Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006. The remaining 90% of the sample is used to carefully selected ‘control group’ of households with similar observable characteristics but without experiencing the earthquake. LSTM's unique ability to analyze sequences of monthly spending data allows us to untangle the intricate, non-linear relationships and long-term dependencies that traditional models might miss. This provides a deeper understanding of how individual health spending patterns evolved in the wake of the tsunami. Through meticulous validation using statistical metrics like mean absolute error and R-squared, the LSTM's predictions will be rigorously compared against estimates from the traditional regression approach. The paper shows how deep learning is a powerful tool that can support disaster risk reduction through anticipating changes to spending patterns in developing countries where microeconomic data surrounding disasters is sparse.

ABSTRACT. It has been documented that there is a positive relationship between a worker’s subjective well-being and productivity, and individuals who are happy in their work have a better attitude when performing activities: happier employees are more productive. Turnover intention, on the other hand, may arise from various factors rather than merely the need to increase a salary, as the traditional economic theory states. The fact that the work performed does not contribute to the worker’s life purpose, that there might be a bad relationship with colleagues, or else might play a role in the search for a new job. This study aims to show the relevance of meaningful work in happiness at work and turnover intention. Data from 937 professionals, in 2019, in Mexico were analyzed. Regression analyses were used to assess the impact of meaningful work on happiness at work and turnover intention. Results show that meaningful work, feeling appreciated by coworkers, and enjoyment of daily tasks significantly predict happiness at work. A logit model showed that having a job that contributes to people’s life purpose, feeling appreciated, and enjoyment of daily tasks reduces turnover intention. The main contribution of the study is to identify the importance of elements of purpose and meaning in the work context, contributing to economic theory. Limitations include the use of single items from a more extensive survey, which might diminish the validity and reliability of the constructs under scrutiny. Future directions point towards the need for more robust indicators of the variables of interest, but the findings emphasize the importance of research focused on the meaning workers attribute to their own work and the effects this attribution might have on their own wellbeing, organizational results, and productivity.

ABSTRACT. This paper begins with an analysis of post-war sociological theories of alienation which postulated a growing loss of meaning in work, as a result of the ever more detailed division of labour, the reduction of skill levels, and the increased constraints on worker autonomy that resulted from the introduction of mass production technologies. It will contrast these with theories of automation that argued that the integration of production processes would lead to a restoration of meaning in work. It will continue with the extended debate about the growth of instrumentalism in work orientations, which implied that job quality was decreasingly relevant to the meaning of work. It will turn to the recent literature on meaningfulness at work, which reasserts the primacy for meaning of the nature of the work task and the work environment, and its implications for worker well-being and performance. It will consider how far the experience of meaningfulness depends on the nature of individual work values and varies between categories of the workforce. Finally, it will conclude with a discussion of the key issues for the future of the meaning of work, in the light of new technological developments.

ABSTRACT. We exploit employee data from eighteen European countries to provide the first comparable cross-country evidence on the impact of digital transformation on job quality within the job demands-job resources model. First, we identify for this analysis five digital transformation profiles of employees using a clustering algorithm based on external data sources measuring a wide range of exposure to digital transformation covering information technologies, communication technologies, databases, robots, automation of cognitive tasks, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced digital technologies. Second, we estimate the links these digital profiles have with job quality. We provide suggestive evidence that a digitalized work environment is positively linked to job quality, compared with a work environment marked only by the potential risk of automation of cognitive tasks. An AI work environment encourages learning and self-realization. The results reveal that the combination of digital tools in the work environment is an important factor to be taken into account when studying job quality. Therefore, targeted resources management strategies are needed to enhance employees’ job quality and should align with specific socio-demographic characteristics of sub-groups of employees.

ABSTRACT. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the invaluable role of essential workers. Although their importance is widely acknowledged, research on the job quality of this group is mostly descriptive and based on cross-sectional data. Using representative panel data from Germany and fixed effects estimations, this paper examines the effects of COVID-19 on different job quality measures. We compare the effects on essential workers with those on non-essential workers. Our findings reveal that essential workers, in contrast to non-essential workers, faced pandemic induced deteriorations in various job quality measures, such as work autonomy, career opportunities, and work demands. Additionally, the pandemic led to a temporary decline in the job and wage satisfaction of essential workers. Our results indicate that most of these changes are limited to specific pandemic waves and do not persist in the long term.

ABSTRACT. In a world displaying a plethora of information, composite social and economic indicators have become extremely popular as a way to aggregate different dimensions in a single index, dimensions that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to compare.

The most recent wave (2023) of the Eurobarometer survey on the quality of life in 83 European cities contains dozens of categorical quality of life variables, making it difficult to rank European cities in terms of the overall quality of life. The application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to the Eurobarometer survey data allows to decrease dimensionality of this large dataset without a notable information loss.

This research employs PCA to obtain one numerical variable per each area of the quality of life per city, and a composite numerical quality of life indicator per city (based on the value of first principal component of the PCA), which then are rescaled to a 0–100 point scale for representation purposes. The following quality of life areas are considered in this research - safety, trust, environment, infrastructure, public transport, governance, liveability and economic situation. The use of PCA is justified by the value of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin criterion.

Results imply that Northern European cities tend to show higher quality of life satisfaction in almost all quality of life dimensions than Southern European cities. Moreover, capital cities tend to show lower quality of life satisfaction in all dimensions except economic situation. Zurich, Luxembourg, Aalborg, Copenhagen and Groningen are top-5 European cities in my composite quality-of-life ranking. In turn, inhabitants of Naples, Palermo, Athens, Skopje and Rome are the least satisfied with the quality of life.

Acknowledgements. Research “Economics of Happiness in Urban Environment: the case of European cities” (Nr. LU-BA-ZG-2024/1-0021) is funded by the project “Internal and External Consolidation of the University of Latvia” (Nr. 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/007).

ABSTRACT. Since the release of the 1990 Human Development Report, the field of welfare economics has been characterized by the proliferation of numerous multidimensional indices with the aim of measuring well-being and assessing social progress. However, most existing multidimensional indices lack a proper theoretical-conceptual underpinning, mix indicators across different analytical levels, and focus on averages glossing over people at the lower end of the well-being spectrum. We propose a new multidimensional index of well-being—Index of Well-being (IoW)—that builds on systems theory, the capability approach and the theory of distributive justice, fixing many of the limitations of the existing measures. We base our analysis on the Alkire-Foster (AF) method but propose substantial improvements in its core steps. Specifically, we improve the derivation of indicator and dimension weights, indicator cut-offs and the final aggregation notation. These changes are implemented using Categorical Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Analysis, and introducing a measure of dispersion—the inequality penalty—to the notation to capture societal inequality. Following this modified AF method, we—due to the lack of a perfect dataset and the advantage of flexibility—use synthetic data to illustrate the development of individual well-being profiles and use them to illustrate the construction of the final index. Thanks to the dynamic properties of the AF method, our results can provide differentiated insights into population sub-groups, revealing which people have the conditions for well-being in society and indicator breakdown, allowing for greater granularity. The IoW has the potential to shape policies that foster holistic development and societal well-being.

ABSTRACT. For most employees, commuting is a time-intensive daily activity closely linked to stress and negative emotional states, making it one of the least enjoyable daily activities. In this context, satisfaction with commuting is conceived as an important sub-domain of subjective well-being. Furthermore, dissatisfaction with one’s commute can spill over into other life domains (e.g., work, family, and social interactions), underscoring its importance for overall quality-of-life. This highlights the need for a robust, validated measurement of commuting satisfaction, facilitating reliable and nuanced analyses of its role in quality-of-life research. This study introduces and validates the Commuting Satisfaction Scale (CSS), an instrument assessing individuals’ satisfaction with seven key aspects of the commute: duration, comfort, crowding, reliability, safety, risk of accidents, and the behaviour of others. The CSS is designed for broad applicability across regions and travel modes, including car, public transport, and walking/cycling. Drawing on data from two waves (April and October 2024) of the Australian Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN) survey, this research validates the CSS in a nationally representative post-pandemic context. The sample includes individuals from diverse occupational groups and commuting environments. The validation process employed rigorous psychometric analyses, including internal consistency testing, exploratory factor analysis, and validity assessment through associations with key predictors and outcomes. Preliminary results reveal a one-factor structure with high internal consistency across travel modes and both urban and rural areas. Commuters are most satisfied with safety and least satisfied with crowding and the behaviour of others. Longer commute times are associated with lower satisfaction, while active commuting modes (i.e., walking, cycling) correspond to higher satisfaction. Lower commuting satisfaction is also linked to higher mental distress. These findings suggest that the CSS is a highly reliable and valid measure of commuting satisfaction, advancing research potential in the areas of travel and well-being.

ABSTRACT. Any empirical multidimensional application faces the problem of dimensional weighting—applied relatively as a percentage score so that the dimensional weights over all indicators sum up to 1. Following standard practice we use design-based equal weights as a conceptual starting point. We further propose the use of combined settings of design-driven and empirical procedures, based on key variables (hh-incomes, life-satisfaction) to set up individual dimensional weighting schemes for any multi-dimensional well-being applications. Design weights constitute the conceptual basis to assign indicators accordingly. We use multi-conceptual schemes from quality-of-life, social-indicators and sustainability background (Maslow, Allardt, Bourdieu, Zapf, Noll, Bronfenbrenner) for normative settings and emphasize further on CA-based non-normative design-settings according to the constitutional method. Our empirical approach to set up individual dimensional weights is based on series of OLS-regressions, which may be further differentiated by sub-group-levels to catch as well shifts in individual weighting preferences over the life cycle or between ethnic groups or regions. Our proposed dimensional weighting set includes the following three optional key elements: (1) the relative meaning of each indicator [adjusted r-square], (2) individual variations [predicted values according to small sets of co-variables], and (3) control for correlation between indicators [variance inflation factor]. The resulting dimensional weighting scheme can be derived as a selection or combination of any of the proposed elements.

Our empirical results refer to the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). The first part of the paper briefly describes the database (SOEP) with variables and measurement designs. The second part introduces briefly measurement techniques used for multidimensional applications: AF-measures for multi-dimensional deprivation and well-being (including fixed-fuzzy approaches). For multidimensional inequality application we use Atkinson coefficient as well as Gini-based measures for multi-dimensional inequalities – with a special note on multiple k-dimensional sub-group-applications (for multiple within-between-group applications).

ABSTRACT. Aims: The SyMon-SAYS (Symptom Monitoring & Systematic Assessment and Reporting System in Young Survivors) program, fully integrated into electronic health records, monitors symptoms in children with cancer between medical visits through weekly patient-reported assessments. This facilitates timely intervention to alleviate symptom burden and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study assessed the program’s 16-week efficacy by assessing HRQoL changes.

Methods: Children aged 8–17 years with cancer (either undergoing treatment or within 6 months post-treatment) were randomized to an intervention group (IG; weeks 1–16) or a waitlist control group (WG; weeks 1–8 waitlist, weeks 9–16 intervention). Weekly symptom reports covered nine domains, with alerts triggered by scores exceeding predefined thresholds. HRQoL (measured via PROMIS Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Fatigue, and Peer Relationships) was evaluated at baseline, week 8 (primary endpoint), and week 16 (secondary endpoint to assess sustained effects) using mixed-effects models.

Results: Data from 136 children (73 IG, 63 WG; mean age 12.5 years, 60.6% male, 73.3% white) who completed the 16-week trial were analyzed. Among them, 35.4% had leukemia, and 17.5% had brain tumors. The IG completed an average of 10.6 symptom checklists (vs. 5.0 in WG), with 65.8% triggering alerts. At baseline, IG participants reported significantly lower anxiety, depression, and fatigue (p<0.05). By week 8, reductions in anxiety, depression, and fatigue were observed in the IG, resulting in no significant differences between groups. No significant differences were found in other HRQoL domains at baseline or week 8. At week 16, IG participants reported significantly lower anger, but no differences were observed in other domains.

Conclusions: These promising results suggest that the SyMon-SAYS program could effectively improve mental well-being related HRQoL in children with cancer overtime and this effect was sustained at week-16. Physical HRQoL may be more impacted by disease severity and treatment intensity.

ABSTRACT. Background: Open communication between primary caregivers and palliative cancer patients regarding the impending death may be beneficial to both partners. For example, open communication may moderate the deleterious effects of the caregiver's stress and anticipatory grief. The objectives of the present study were: 1. to study, for the first time, whether open communication between primary caregivers and palliative cancer patients is negatively associated with caregivers' burnout. 2. To study the possible role of open communication as a moderator of the association between caregivers' anticipatory grief and their burnout. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 83 men and women, family caregivers of palliative cancer patients, ages ranging between 16 to 80, were recruited in the Oncology Department and Hospice in Sheba Medical Center in Israel. They responded to self-report questionnaires evaluating anticipatory grief intensity, open communication regarding death, and burnout. Findings: Open communication between the patient and caregiver was negatively associated with caregivers' anticipatory grief (- (**523.and burnout (-.488**). Anticipatory grief and open communication had a cumulative, but not an interactive effect, on burnout. Thus open communication did not moderate the anticipatory grief – burnout association. On the other hand, open communication mediated the association between anticipatory grief and burnout. As grief rises open communication decreases, leading to higher caregiver burnout. Discussion: Open communication between primary caregiver and palliative patients is important for caregivers' wellbeing as it reduces chances for burnout, probably by improving caregivers' coping alone with the impending death. It is important to increase awareness among healthcare professionals regarding these effects. Additionally, the results emphasize the importance of developing therapeutic interventions for the patient's family in addition to the interventions directed at patients, as practiced today. These interventions should focus on supporting coping with anticipatory grief as well as improving open communication about the end of life.

ABSTRACT. Aims: This meta-analysis evaluated the associations between depression, self-care behaviours, and quality of life diabetes. Given the inconsistent findings from previous studies, a systematic evaluation was conducted to clarify these relationships.

Methods: Between 2001 and 2024, studies published in the Literature were systematically searched using Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, EBSCOhost, and PubMed. Data from 61 studies with 19,537 participants were analysed using random-effects models. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore variations in diabetes type, geographic Region, and measurement tools. Heterogeneity was assessed using I² statistics.

Results: Depression was significantly associated with poorer glycemic control (HbA1c: r = 0.23, 95% CI [0.15–0.31], p < 0.001), reduced self-care behaviours (r = –0.19, 95% CI [–0.28, –0.10], p < 0.001), and lower quality of life (r = –0.25, 95% CI [–0.34, –0.16], p < 0.001). Associations with healthy lifestyle behaviours, including adherence to a healthy diet (r = –0.21, 95% CI [–0.30, –0.12], p < 0.001) and physical activity (r = –0.18, 95% CI [–0.26, –0.09], p < 0.001), were also significant. Stronger correlations were observed between type 2 diabetes and samples from Europe and North America. High heterogeneity (I² = 97.24%) indicates variability across studies.

 Conclusions: Depression is closely linked to poorer self-care behaviours and lower quality of life in individuals with diabetes. Integrating mental health care into diabetes management is essential. Future research should prioritise evidence-based interventions and standardised assessment tools to address psychological barriers and enhance self-care.

ABSTRACT. Parenting a child with achondroplasia presents unique challenges, including navigating medical complexities, societal perceptions, and personal coping mechanisms. While much research focuses on the child’s needs, the quality of life (QoL) of parents remains underexplored. This study investigates the lived experiences of these parents to identify factors influencing their QoL and inform tailored support strategies.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 parents of children aged 0–18 years diagnosed with achondroplasia, recruited through patient and family organisation in Germany. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, guided by the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life (WHOQOL) framework, focusing on emotional, social, physical, and financial dimensions.

Eight key themes emerged: (1) Emotional Resilience: Parents experienced guilt, anxiety, and adaptation. (2) Healthcare Navigation: Challenges included accessing specialized care and fragmented systems. (3) Social Stigma: Advocacy efforts were often necessary to combat discrimination. (4) Challenges and Support: Costs related to medical care, adaptive needs, and employment constraints significantly impacted families. (5) Coping Mechanisms: Peer groups, family, and professional support were essential. (6) Family Life: Daily routines were reshaped to accommodate the child’s needs. (7) Physical Health: Caregiving responsibilities affected parental well-being. (8) Future Concerns: Worries about societal acceptance and long-term outcomes were prevalent.

The study highlights the multifaceted challenges parents face, underscoring the need for targeted interventions such as improved healthcare coordination, caregiver programs, and societal awareness initiatives. These findings emphasize the importance of a family-centered approach to managing rare conditions.

ABSTRACT. We report on two projects to coproduce a wellbeing framework to inform the objectives, measurement, and evaluation of anti-poverty policy in the United Kingdom. The first project was conducted in partnership with the charity Turn2us at the national level. The second was conducted with a Turn2us subsidiary at the city level in Edinburgh, in partnership with other local charities, community groups, and government. While many of the findings are consistent across the two scales there are substantial differences in methodology, policy reform priorities, and measurement needs depending on context. This is despite ostensibly being on the same subject (wellbeing in financial hardship) and with the same charity partner. A key takeaway is that context matters for the effective design of wellbeing policy, and so any approach that prioritises cross-contextual metrics (e.g. life satisfaction) in the development, management, and evaluation of wellbeing public policy is likely to undermine policy effectiveness. We comment on the implications of our findings for cost-benefit analysis, going beyond new public management, and other aspects of public administration related to wellbeing public policy.

ABSTRACT. This presentation examines the extent to which differentiated “sin taxes” effectively improve both well-being and state budgets. Specifically, a literature review is conducted on the impact of (differentiated) “sin taxes” on tobacco, alcoholic beverages, sugar, soft drinks and junk food, focusing on their role in improving both human well-being and state revenues. Furthermore, a new methodological framework is developed to measure the impact of differentiated “sin taxes” on well-being. From this perspective, it is suggested that differentiating consumption taxes based on the negative externalities of different types of tobacco products is more beneficial than applying a uniform consumption tax on all types of tobacco products.

ABSTRACT. A key challenge for the 21st century is to achieve good social outcomes for all with ecologically sustainable levels of production and resource use. Existing research indicates this can be achieved by organizing production more specifically around human well-being, including through socialist policies such as public finance, public services, and job guarantees. We investigate this question empirically by comparing the performance of socialist and capitalist economies in the late 20th century, assessing their human development outcomes as a function of their aggregate production and resource use. We find that on 18 out of 19 available social indicators, covering health, education, access to essential goods, and social and gender equity, socialist economies performed better than capitalist economies at any given level of GDP, material footprint, and consumption-based CO2 emissions per capita. This indicates that socialist economies were generally more efficient at converting production and resources into human well-being. The relatively superior performance of socialist economies is strong and statistically significant for GDP and material footprint, but not for CO2 emissions. We argue that these results indicate socialist policy may help enable countries to achieve good lives for all at sustainable levels of production and throughput. However, we also point to ways that the weaknesses of 20th century socialist policy should be improved, including through stronger democratic participation and human rights protections.

ABSTRACT. In the Netherlands, citizens who - due to circumstances - cannot make a living on their own, are being supported by the national Participation Act. This Act is carried out at the local level of municipalities. About one third of all Dutch social assistance recipients is not able to get a paid job in the short run, but may hold one in the future, and one third of the recipients will not be able in the long term to find employment, due to health, housing, and/or other problems.

In this study, we looked at the support these two groups receive, i.e. those who cannot (yet) be guided towards paid employment. Are the social assistance recipients satisfied with the support they receive from local authorities? Do local authorities have enough wiggle room within the Participation Act to support recipients to paid work or to enhance their quality of life? And does the Act need revision in order to aptly support people who cannot (yet) take part in paid employment?

In two Dutch municipalities, we interviewed welfare recipients, local policymakers and client managers. We also held focus groups with participants from other municipalities, and we observed during visits and interviews.

We found that, first, recipients of social assistance need more than just support towards paid employment: they also need support in terms of participation in general (e.g. volunteer work), and in improving their well-being. Second, client managers struggle to support these long-term recipients, which raises the question whether the Act fits the daily practice of social assistance. Finally, the goal of the Participation Act – enabling paid employment - does not match the needs and capacities of the recipients, so it would be advisable to change the Act in this regard.

ABSTRACT. Appearing by video, John Helliwell will review the key findings from World Happiness Report 2025 with a special focus on caring and sharing. He will present the country rankings for happiness and six of its caring and sharing supports: reported frequency of three benevolent acts (donating, volunteering, and helping strangers) and the expected likelihood of lost wallets being returned (by neighbours, strangers, or police). Appearing in person, Sara Konrath will take audience questions.

ABSTRACT. The authors present new evidence on an understudied measure of social connection – sharing meals. Using novel data for 142 countries and territories, they find stark differences in rates of meal sharing around the world. Sharing meals proves to be an exceptionally strong indicator of subjective wellbeing – on par with income and unemployment. Those who share more meals with others report significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and positive affect, and lower levels of negative affect. This is true across ages, genders, countries, cultures, and regions. Using data from the American Time Use Survey, the authors find clear evidence that Americans are spending more and more time dining alone. Meal sharing also appears to be closely related to some, but not all, measures of social connectedness. Most notably, countries where people share more meals have higher levels of social support and positive reciprocity, and lower levels of loneliness.

ABSTRACT. Deaths of despair are preventable deaths due to suicide, alcohol abuse, and drug overdose. Together, they represent a form of ill-being akin to extreme unhappiness. The authors document the levels of deaths of despair around the world using the latest available data, show how these levels have changed over time, and provide an initial analysis of the factors that explain the rise or fall of deaths of despair within countries over time. They focus particularly on prosocial behaviour – donating, volunteering, and helping strangers – as a factor that could reduce deaths of despair.

ABSTRACT. Given the importance and prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), numerous studies have focused on the study of relevant psychopathological symptoms. Although ADHD has a negative impact on various core domains of children’s well-being, research regarding the disorder’s effects on quality of life has been more limited. For this reason, the main objective of the present research is to apply the Two-continua Model of Mental Health to a sample of children diagnosed with ADHD. As expected, Parallel Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis indicated that two different unipolar correlated dimensions emerged from the presence of symptoms of psychopathology (i.e., inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) and the presence of symptoms of positive mental health (i.e., hedonic well-being, psychological well-being, and social well-being). ADHD symptoms correlated significantly with psychological and social well-being but not with hedonic well-being indicators. As a consequence of this mental illness – positive mental health bi-dimensionality, to properly evaluate children’s health, assessment protocols should not only rely on measures of ADHD psychopathology but also consider measures of well-being and quality of life.

ABSTRACT. Given the significant limitations of explicit (direct) measures, the study of implicit (indirect) measures of psychological constructs has garnered increased attention from researchers. However, children’s well-being is still primarily assessed in an explicit and direct manner. For this reason, the first goal of this research was to develop a new tool to assess the well-being of children and adolescents using the Implicit Association Test (WB-IAT-Y). Additionally, the study aimed to explore the relationship between direct and indirect measures of children's well-being. A total of 358 primary and secondary school students participated, completing the WB-IAT-Y, the Psychological Well-being Scales, and the World Health Organization – Five Well-Being Index. Furthermore, an expert conducted a semi-structured interview with each participant, focusing on their life satisfaction across key domains, such as family life, friendships, school, and overall life satisfaction. The WB-IAT-Y demonstrated good internal consistency and adequate construct validity. Parallel Analysis and Exploratory Factor Analysis indicated that two different unipolar correlated dimensions emerged from direct and indirect measures. Consistent with previous studies, the WB-IAT-Y showed a weak correlation with the two direct measures of well-being, but it correlated strongly with the semi-structured interview. In this context, the WB-IAT-Y is a valuable instrument for assessing indirect well-being among youth. In conclusion, it is recommended to evaluate the well-being of children and adolescents using both direct and indirect measures to capture conscious and unconscious processes related to self-relevant information.

ABSTRACT. The increasing focus on family wellbeing has driven the development of relevant metrics, particularly for emerging economies like the Philippines. This paper highlights the last phase of developing a metric on Filipino Family well-being. The objectives of the study were twofold: 1) to design a Filipino Family Well-being Scale (FFWS) for parents and children, and 2) to determine the content validity and reliability of the instrument. The dimensions and items of the scale were based on the eight dimensions of Filipino Family well-being that emanated from an earlier phase of the study. Initially, 146 items were constructed, but the number was reduced to 75 items after checking for duplication and relevance. The 75 items were subjected to content validity by six Filipino family experts, which resulted in a revised 70-item scale. The FFWS has two versions - one for parents and one for children. The reliability of the FFWS, using Cronbach’s Alpha, resulted in a high overall reliability of α = .968 for the Parent’s Version and α = .949 for the Children’s Version. Duplicate items and those that do not contribute positively to the scale’s reliability were removed from the scale. The final version of the FFWS comprises 55 items across eight dimensions: resource adequacy (11 items), comfortable lifestyle (6 items), financial security and stability (11 items), good family relationships (11 items), good parenting (5 items), good health of family members (2 items), virtuous family life (6 items), and family satisfaction and contentment (3 items). The different dimensions of FFWS have a moderate to high reliability of α = .745 to α = .906 for the Parent’s Version and between α = .648 to α = .921 for the Children’s Version. The study recommends translating the scale into major Filipino languages to widen its usability for different Philippine regions.

ABSTRACT. Professional helpers in Eastern societies face significant pressures stemming from cultural values that emphasize sacrifice, duty, and professionalism. These norms often prioritize the needs of others over personal well-being and stigmatize seeking help for mental health challenges. As a result, compassion fatigue—a combination of burnout and secondary traumatic stress—is amplified by societal expectations and the helpers' internalized drive for perfection. However, compassion satisfaction, defined as the sense of fulfillment and joy derived from meaningful work, serves as a crucial counterbalance to these challenges.

Despite its importance, the concept of compassion satisfaction remains underexplored in international academic circles, with a notable lack of well-validated measurement tools. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing the conceptual constructs of compassion satisfaction and developing a scale specifically designed to measure this construct among professional helpers in Taiwan. Through two empirical studies, the findings revealed that compassion satisfaction encompasses three dimensions: "Positive Beliefs," "Active Engagement," and "Self-Care." The study further identified significant demographic and occupational differences in compassion satisfaction levels:

•Compassion satisfaction positively correlated with age. •Males reported higher levels of compassion satisfaction compared to females. •Nurses exhibited lower levels compared to mental health caregivers and educators. •Individuals with a master’s degree reported higher levels compared to those with a bachelor’s degree. •Those with over 10 years of professional experience had higher levels compared to those with 3 to 5 years of experience.

By proposing a new three-factor model of compassion satisfaction and developing a reliable measurement tool, this study provides a foundation for future research and interventions aimed at enhancing the well-being of professional helpers in Taiwan. It seeks to stimulate broader discussions on their well-being and advocates for fostering supportive environments for these essential workers.

ABSTRACT. Background: The printing industry is a significant sector in Thailand that relies on various chemicals during production processes, potentially posing health risks to workers through exposure in unsafe working environments. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the health symptoms associated with exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone, heavy metals, and particulate matter emitted from printing equipment in Thailand. Methods: A survey of work-related health symptoms was conducted using questionnaires distributed to workers in printing facilities, including printing units, four-color printing rooms, and digital printing rooms. Results: All workers reported neurological symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, exhaustion, and difficulty concentrating. In the digital printing rooms, workers experienced symptoms affecting the eyes, nose, throat, respiratory system, nervous system, and skin. Similarly, workers in the four-color printing rooms reported symptoms involving the eyes, nose, throat, respiratory system, nervous system, and skin. In the printing units, workers primarily reported neurological, skin, and throat symptoms. Conclusion: This study highlights that workers in printing facilities may be at risk of exposure to occupational pollutants, which could adversely impact their health. Health symptoms may also be influenced by individual background characteristics, non-work-related activities, and variations in sensitivity to pollutant exposure. These findings can support the development of control measures to prevent and reduce pollutant exposure among printing facility workers. Additionally, introducing risk communication and management strategies in printing facilities could enhance workplace safety and improve environmental and health policies.

ABSTRACT. Background: The Russia-Ukraine war affected university student living conditions. Our hypothesis is that each year of war will be associated with a further deterioration of Ukrainian university student quality of life, well-being and related factors. However, we believe marital, religiosity and residential location statuses will mitigate the deterioration. Methods: A total of 3,245 students of 5 Ukrainian universities (N=3,245) were surveyed on-line from March to July 2023 (T1, n=1,341) and from September to November 2024 (T2, n=1,904). Respondent background details were: average age 19.4 years, 75% female, 25.9% secular and 33.2% married/partnered. The respondents included 80.5% not relocated and 19.5% internally displaced. Valid and reliable survey instruments were used to gather data about the quality of life (QOL), life satisfaction (LS), financial well-being (FWB), fear of war (FW), depression, and substance use (SU). Findings: The Chi-square and T tests show significant decreased QOL, LS, FWB, and alcohol use, as well as increased FW, depression, and tranquilizer use over T1 and T2 comparison periods. Regardless of time period, t-test and one-way ANOVA show an increase of FW, depression, and SU (i.e., tranquilizers) associated with decreased QOL, LS, and FWB. Also, t-test shows male, religious and married/partnered students with higher levels of QOL, LS and FWB than respondents who are female, secular and not-married/partnered. Internally displaced respondents reported lower levels of QOL, LS and FWB than those not relocated. Discussion: Present results confirm our hypothesis that war is associated with QOL, LF, FWB, depression and SU deterioration. Religiosity and married/partner statuses mitigate such conditions but do not change them. Also, location status is an influencing factor. Further research is needed to identify patterns of quality of life, life satisfaction, financial well-being, mental health, and substance use during war and after.

ABSTRACT. BACKGROUND: Preventing frailty and enhancing quality of life in older adults requires understanding the interplay between lifestyle and comorbidities in middle-aged populations. This study integrates lifestyle and chronic disease profiles to identify vulnerable subgroups and inform tailored interventions. OBJECTIVE: To integrate lifestyle and comorbidity profiles in adults aged 45 to 65, identifying subgroups to inform preventive strategies and reduce frailty risk in aging populations. METHODS: Data were collected from the clinical records of patients aged 45 to 65 in two primary care centers of the Canary Islands, Spain (N=13,553; 54.08% female) between June 2023 and September 2024, with analysis conducted in 2024. A cluster analysis using R 4.2.2 identified patterns in lifestyle factors (physical activity, Mediterranean diet adherence, alcohol, tobacco, and drug use) and chronic diseases (cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, musculoskeletal conditions, obesity, etc.). The clusters were cross-referenced to generate an integrated matrix defining subgroups. RESULTS: The integration of lifestyle and comorbidity clusters revealed four distinct profiles: 1. Low General Risk (43.6%): Healthy or moderately healthy lifestyles with a low burden of comorbidities. Universal health promotion strategies could help maintain their low-risk status and prevent frailty. 2. Moderate Risk (4.2%): High tobacco, alcohol, or drug use with metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities. Targeted interventions addressing harmful behaviors could mitigate frailty progression. 3. High Consumption and Severe Diseases (0.3%): Significant drug use and severe chronic diseases. Intensive, personalized care is essential to reduce vulnerability. 4. Low Consumption, Healthy Lifestyles, but Hight Risk for Multiple Comorbidities (51.9%): Healthy lifestyles but substantial cardiovascular and metabolic disease burden. Comprehensive management is crucial to prevent frailty. CONCLUSIONS: Integrating lifestyle and comorbidity profiles identifies subgroups with specific needs, enabling tailored interventions to prevent frailty and improve quality of life. Addressing the unique combination of lifestyle and diseases in middle-aged adults can delay frailty and ensure healthier aging trajectories.

ABSTRACT. Introduction. Anxiety is an individual psychological feature of a person, the optimal level of which is adaptive. The quality of life is an integral characteristic of physical, emotional and social functioning of a person, determined by various factors. The paper presents data on the insufficiently studied complex “quality of life – anxiety.Materials and Methods. The study was conducted within the framework of a scientific project in 180 respondents aged 16-60 years of both sexes. As a tool for assessing the quality of life of the population, we used a short version of the WHO Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), we assessed the anxiety of the population according to Spielberg. Statistical processing and data analysis were carried out using the SPSS 22.0. Results. Pairwise comparison of groups showed that in individuals with a high level of SA the scores for individual domains of QOL are significantly lower compared to those with low QOL (in terms of physical well-being U=45.035, p=0.004; in terms of mental well-being, social relations U=31.577, p=0.046; environmental U=86.372, p<0.001) and moderate anxiety (physical well-being U=24.816, p=0.002; mental well-being U=36.455, p<0.001; for social relations U=22.110, p=0.005; for the environment U=41.727, p<0.001). An inverse relationship was found for the ratios situational anxiety-mental well-being (r=-0.370, p˂0.001) and situational anxiety-environment (r=-0.491, p˂0.001). Weak negative relationships were also obtained for the remaining ratios, ranging from r=-0.230 (p=0.002) to r=-0.284 (p<0.001). For the ratio of personal anxiety-physical well-being, the absence of a significant relationship was revealed (r=-0.119 (p=0.110). The presence of a direct relationship between situational and personal anxiety is indicated by the obtained correlation coefficient between these indicators - r=0.610 (p<0.001).Conclusion. The study of correlations between anxiety and quality of life domains indicates the presence of relationships between the indicators, which must be taken into account when developing various preventive measures.

ABSTRACT. Introduction.The methodology of quality of life (QOL) research has justified the need to develop a new direction of interdisciplinary research. The research aimed to study the impact of main ENT diseases on quality of life parameters and the level of anxiety in adolescents of pre-conscription age. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted from 2014 to 2020. The sample consisted of 720 adolescents of pre-conscription age from 15-to 17 years old. The cross-sectional survey was conducted in 4 randomly selected secondary schools of Yerevan. Of those included in the study, 351 had ENT pathology and 369 did not. The dependence of the PedsQLTM 4.0 questionnaire domains on external factors was assessed. Reliability of the questionnaire was assessed using Cronbach's α-coefficient. The Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS) was designed to measure anxiety. Results. The prevalence of ENT diseases among young men of pre-conscription age (15,16 and 17 years old) was 48.8±1.9%. The rate was significantly higher in the group of 17-year-old adolescents compared to 15-year-old adolescents. Throat diseases ranked first in prevalence. All the indicators of QOL of pre-conscription youth with ENT diseases were lower compared to the group without ENT diseases. Chronic inflammatory diseases of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses had the most negative impact on self-esteem. It was found that the expressed and very high anxiety was significantly higher in the group of persons with ENT diseases compared to practically healthy people. Conclusion. In pre-conscription youth with ENT-diseases a lower level of the domains of QOL was registered in comparison with the group of practically healthy people. Chronic diseases of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses had the most negative impact on the QOL. Adolescents with ENT diseases more often show increased anxiety compared to the practically healthy ones.

ABSTRACT. This study aims to construct the dynamic employment patterns of Taiwanese young adults by utilizing sequence analysis to depict a comprehensive picture of employment relationships over time as they progress through the early stages of career development. Regarding employment characteristics, this paper focuses on the security of employment relationships, assuming that long-term and stable contractual relationships enhance young adults' ability to plan and envision their prospects. In contrast, fixed-term contracts, part-time jobs, temporary positions, and dispatch work entail varying degrees of employment uncertainty and risks. To address the research question, I organize the monthly employment history and construct a 144-month sequence of employment statuses for each individual. Subsequently, the author examines how these diverse employment pathways relate to Taiwanese youths' subjective well-being.

This study integrates two samples from the Panel Study of Family Dynamics (PSFD): individuals born between 1977 and 1983 and those born between 1984 and 1991. Following the baseline survey, respondents were re-interviewed approximately every 1-2 years. Each survey wave collects detailed information on respondents' work experiences, enabling this study to reconstruct employment histories from ages 18 to 30. Using the TraMineR package in R to compute pairwise sequence distances, this study subsequently applies the Weighted Cluster package to conduct Wald hierarchical clustering analysis to identify Taiwanese young adults' typical employment trajectory patterns as they transition from school to the labor market. Finally, this study investigates the impact of early employment dynamics on subjective well-being at age 31. Preliminary analyses identify five distinct employment trajectory patterns among Taiwanese adults born between 1977 and 1991: early stable entry, late stable entry, persistently precarious, progressively stable, and sudden downward trajectories. After controlling for demographic and socio-economic covariates, the findings suggest that these employment trajectories significantly influence the well-being of young adults in Taiwan.

ABSTRACT. Subjective Wellbeing (SWB) ratings are often influenced by response biases, complicating their interpretation and cross-cultural comparisons. For instance, SWB scores may remain stable over time despite improvements in living standards, health, and longevity, a phenomenon known as "Easterlin's paradox," attributed to peer relativity and evolving expectations. Cultural biases also affect SWB comparisons, as differences in cultural norms impact scale usage. On an individual level, the "disability paradox" highlights how conventional SWB measures fail to reflect significant impairments, as disabled individuals report similar SWB to healthy controls due to shifts in their frame of reference. These paradoxes suggest that SWB measures may be insensitive to changes or improvements, limiting their utility for policymaking and assessing interventions. Bernheim’s ACSA (Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment) is basically a single-item self-anchoring scale of SWB that uses the respondent’s personal Worst (=-5) and Best (=+5) periods in their life experience as concretely lived personal, meaningful anchors of the SWB scale. Several findings in sociological and clinical settings show that ACSA scores are not (or less) affected by the above-mentioned relativity biases. This presentation reports on an experimental scenario study where participants evaluated the SWB of an imagined individual experiencing life-changing events. SWB ratings were collected using three methods: a conventional one-item well-being question, Cantril's Ladder, and the ACSA. By systematically manipulating the scenarios, the study examined whether ACSA is more sensitive to changes in personal circumstances and less prone to cultural bias than the conventional question and Cantril's Ladder.

ABSTRACT. In this research, we study the role of gender as a determinant of social happiness within the 2024 Spanish Model of Happiness highlighting significant differences in how men and women prioritize factors influencing their well-being. Using ANOVA and regression techniques, we analyze responses from Spanish residents to uncover gender-specific patterns in happiness determinants. Findings reveal that family circumstances and environmental safety are significantly more relevant to women’s social happiness. Conversely, women place less emphasis on workplace happiness due to structural inequities in the labor market, which diminish their self-esteem, opportunities for promotion, and access to professional development. These factors reflect both personal agency and circumstantial challenges shaped by societal conditions. In contrast, men rank workplace happiness as a key driver of their well-being, often prioritizing it over financial stability. Their social happiness is further shaped by relationships within their immediate social networks, such as neighbors and close friends, partially substituting the strong family focus observed in women. The results allow underscores the importance of adopting a gender-sensitive approach to understanding and enhancing social happiness. Tailored strategies are needed to address the distinct challenges and priorities of men and women, ensuring equitable opportunities for happiness in a rapidly evolving social and economic landscape. By integrating quantitative analysis with a gender lens, this study contributes to the growing discourse on inclusivity in quality-of-life research.

ABSTRACT. The Multidimensional Subjective Indicator (MSISH) of the Spanish Observatory of Intangibles and Quality of Life (OICV) offers an innovative framework for evaluating well-being by integrating subjective dimensions of quality of life. This indicator is structured around three core spheres of the social individual: personal, residential, and occupational. It is developed using a representative sample of the resident population since 2020, incorporating a set of subjective indicators with a fixed weighting system for each dimension. This research presents the methodology and findings of the MSISH based on the fifth consecutive national survey conducted in Spain. The results emphasize the strong correlation between high digital competencies—including the use of devices, social networks, and telematic services—and higher quality of life. Moreover, it also identifies vulnerabilities, particularly among older adults, individuals with limited education or income, and widowed residents, who face barriers in adapting to digital environments. The study further explores the pervasive issue of undesired loneliness, which disproportionately affects women and rural inhabitants of small municipalities. It underscores the mitigating role of digital inclusion and intergenerational interaction in addressing these challenges. Notably, the analysis highlights intermediate rural areas and smart cities as optimal environments for well-being due to their balance of connectivity, sustainability, and community support. By incorporating subjective measures across multiple life dimensions, the MSISH offers a robust and nuanced tool for understanding the complexities of quality of life. The insights derived from this research provide policymakers with evidence-based recommendations to foster social inclusion, digital equity, and sustainable development in an increasingly interconnected world.

ABSTRACT. Objectives: This study aims to investigate the extent to which assets influence longitudinal trajectories of life satisfaction among retired older adults aged 50 and above in South Korea. Method: The analysis utilizes nine-wave panel data from the Korean Retirement and Income Study (KReIS, n = 1,271). Assets were categorized into four types: (1) real assets, (2) financial assets, (3) other assets, and (4) debts. Life satisfaction was measured using a 5-point Likert scale assessing overall life satisfaction. Growth Mixture Modeling (GMM) was employed to identify longitudinal trajectories of life satisfaction, offering insights into both within-individual changes and between-individual differences over time. GMM simplifies complex growth patterns compared to single trajectory analyses while accounting for heterogeneity across subgroups. Data spanning from 2005 to 2022 were analyzed to classify nine-wave life satisfaction trajectories among Korean older adults. Subsequently, multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the impact of assets on these life satisfaction trajectories. Results: GMM identified three distinct life satisfaction classes across the nine waves: high, stable, and decreasing life satisfaction. Financial assets and other forms of wealth emerged as critical determinants of life satisfaction in later life, providing stability and long-term benefits. In contrast, debt was consistently associated with lower life satisfaction, serving as a persistent barrier to well-being. Discussion: By employing advanced methodological approaches, we illuminated the heterogeneity of life satisfaction trajectories among Korean retirees and the role of assets in shaping these patterns. The findings highlight the importance of asset accumulation and financial stability as essential components of well-being in older adulthood. Moreover, they emphasize the need for asset-building programs and financial education initiatives to help older adults better prepare for and navigate the later stages of life.

ABSTRACT. Backgrounds Recently, young carers have emerged as one of social issues in Korea. As a main caregiver, a young carer faces multiple burdens such as caregiving, housekeeping, and working. Those burdens may influence quality of life among young carers negatively. In particular, they may experience burnouts and/or depression. In this regard, this study examines the extent to which perception of impacts of disability influences deprssion among young carers in Korea. Methods Data and Sample: This study uses the 4th wave data from the Panel Data on Life of Persons with Disability. Since this study focuses on young carers, the sample size was reduced to 702 households. Measures: An independent variable of this study is type of perception of disability impacts. This variable consists of 8 indicators asking how disability of family member influences caregiver's life (e.g., personality, life style, health, educaiton, job, marriage/dating, relationship). A dependent variable of this study is depression measured by the CES-D. Statistics: This study employs Mplus 8.11 for the LPA of perception of disability impacts. The relationship between the perception of disability impacts and depression among young carers was analyzed by SPSS 27.0. Results This study found that three-class model of perception of disability impacts is better than the other classifications. The classes were named as positive, moderate, and negative perception of disability impacts. The OLS regression analysis found that young carers with better perception of disability impacts are less likely to experience depression. Conclusion This study suggests that more attentions should be paid to young carers caring disabled family member(s). In particular, social campaign and education are necessary to decrease the negative perception of disability. Furthermore, intervention targeting depression among young carers should be developed to enhance their quality of life.

ABSTRACT. "Dying with dignity" is a significant research topic that integrates both localized and globalized perspectives. In Taiwan's multiethnic society, understandings and values related to this concept vary widely across different ethnic groups. The psychological processes and influencing factors of end-of-life decision-making also differ among these groups, potentially impacting the implementation of consensus-based policies on dying with dignity, as well as the quality of life and psychological well-being of individuals and their families. However, past research in this field has often lacked a theory-driven approach, making it difficult to properly contextualize, interpret, critique, and apply the findings.

To address this gap, this study adopts a relational theory perspective rooted in indigenous social psychology to develop a psychological process model for analyzing end-of-life decision-making behaviors in a multiethnic context. By enriching and constructing the theoretical dimensions of this research topic, the study aims to provide policymakers, healthcare professionals, educators, and practitioners in related fields with more comprehensive principles for end-of-life care and psychological counseling. This approach seeks to foster dialogue and balance among diverse ethnic groups, creating more harmonious interethnic relationships. Additionally, the framework can serve as a foundation for cross-national comparative studies, thereby deepening and expanding the cross-cultural application and discourse on this topic.

ABSTRACT. This study aims to assess the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic and containment measures affecting children in child protection. The study used a qualitative field research approach, targeting households of migrant workers, their host communities, and relevant sectors in six specific areas through purposive sampling. Data collection included 1) Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with community members and stakeholders and 2) In-depth Interviews (IDI) with migrant worker households with persons aged 17 years or younger.

This study produced important findings with significant repercussions. Key impacts on dependent children of migrant workers in Thailand include the challenge of accessing birth registration for newborns, which may be more difficult or delayed. There is an increased risk and vulnerability of migrant children to family violence, lack of caregivers, abandonment, exploitation as child labor, and unsafe living conditions and surrounding environment. Additionally, there is an emerging trend of risky social behaviors among adolescent children of non-Thai migrant workers, and that increases their vulnerability.

ABSTRACT. Research questions Older adults, in general, are keen to prepare death. Older adults preparing their death well are likely to have higher life satisfaction. This study aims to examine the extent to which death preparation among older adults in Korea influences life satisfaction. Additionally, this study assesses whether the relationship between death preparation and life satisfaction is moderated by well-dying perceptions. Methods Sample and data: This study used ‘2020 National Survey of Older Adults in Korea’. The study sample is 7,016 older adults. Key measures: The dependent variable is life satisfaction measured by four Likert-type items (health status, financial status, social activities, and relationships). The Cronbach’s a is 0.81. The independent variable is death preparation measured by eight binary items (death education, inheritance, funeral, pledging organ donation, preparing a burial site, etc.). The moderating variable is well-dying perceptions measured by four Likert-type items (organizing personal matters, experiencing death simulation, having family present during death, and dying at home). The Cronbach’s a of the perception measures is 0.79. In the multivariate model, this study includes covariates such as gender, age, education, health status, marital status, and household income. Statistics: This study used Mplus to classify well-dying perceptions. Process Macro model analysis was conducted to test the moderating effect of well-dying perceptions on the relationship between death preparation and life satisfaction. Results We found that well-dying perceptions were classified into two latent classes (moderate and high levels). In addition, we found that the two classes of well-dying perceptions moderate the relationship between death preparation and life satisfaction among Korean older adults. Conclusion The findings of this study highlight that death preparation and well-dying perceptions matter for life satisfaction among Korean older adults. As older adults face the last course of life span, public awareness programs of death preparation and well-dying are necessary.

ABSTRACT. As Malaysia moves towards an aging society, women in middle adulthood (ages 45–65) will face increasing pressure to remain in or return to the workforce. This phenomenon will extend their participation beyond traditional retirement years. This shift highlights the need to foster flourishing. These multifaceted challenges necessitate a deeper understanding of how women navigate this life stage to flourish and achieve sustainable well-being. Therefore, this study aims to explore life tasks such as caregiving, health, financial security, personal fulfilment, and navigating family and societal roles faced by Malaysian women in middle adulthood and identify key factors that contribute to their flourishing, including cultural, social, and individual dimensions. A convergent parallel mixed methods approach was employed. A total of 546 Malaysian women aged 45-65 (mean = 52.15; SD = 5.818) from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds was recruited. In quantitative research, Diener's Flourishing Scale was used to measure flourishing levels of women. Additionally, a qualitative study with a semi-structured open-ended questionnaire was administered to identify emerging themes. The questionnaire focused on exploring flourishing in the aspects of meaning, goals, and relationships. The quantitative analysis showed that 74% percent of Malaysian women in middle adulthood are high flourishers. Qualitative results revealed several themes that support flourishing, highlighting the importance of altruistic activities, social support, spirituality, and community engagement in enhancing well-being. Malaysia is a collectivistic culture, so interconnectedness and prioritizing group harmony are pivotal in shaping well-being. The results of this study highlight the need for culturally sensitive policies and interventions suitable for Malaysian women in middle adulthood. Providing guidelines to create initiatives that promote health awareness, lifelong learning, and financial empowerment. These factors are crucial for fostering sustainable well-being. This study contributes to understanding how cultural contexts shape flourishing and offers actionable insights for supporting women in aging societies.

ABSTRACT. Background: In urban sustainability, active transportation (such as walking and cycling) has become central to urban planning and public policy, impacting both socioeconomic development and individual well-being. Methods: This study employs network analysis to examine active transportation adoption and its associations with environmental perceptions, health symptoms, and well-being. Using data from a probability-based online survey (N = 1,437) conducted by the Survey Research Center (CSR), Academia Sinica in Taiwan in 2019, we analyze the complex interrelationships among transportation choices, environmental factors, health conditions, and well-being indicators. Results: The findings reveal significant associations between active transportation, environmental factors, and well-being. Network analysis shows higher active transportation adoption among women, unemployed, and lower-income groups. Walkability (w=0.34) directly influences active transportation choice, while self-reported environmental quality indicators, particularly air quality (w=0.43) and noise levels (w=-0.21), significantly affect environmental satisfaction. Health symptoms demonstrate complex interactions with both environmental factors and transportation choices. Life satisfaction is primarily influenced through indirect pathways involving environmental satisfaction (w=0.13) and happiness (w=0.72). Discussion: The innovation of this study lies in its application of network analysis to uncover the complex interactions between active transportation, environmental factors, health symptoms, and well-being. These findings provide crucial insights for developing integrated transportation policies and health promotion strategies while offering new perspectives for building more livable urban environments.

ABSTRACT. Suicide rate is an important indicator of a society member’s quality of life. A high suicide rate among older Koreans indicates that their quality of life is poor. Health and care issues are major causes of suicide among older Koreans. As long-term in-home care (LTIHC) functions as a social safety net that protects older adults from health and care-related crises, it can be expected to reduce the risk of suicide among older adults. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effects of LTIHC on the suicide rate among older adults and test whether these effects differ between urban and rural areas. We used 13 years (2010–2022) of administrative data, such as the causes of death statistics from the Statistical Office and long-term care insurance statistics from the National Health Insurance Service. We conducted a panel fixed effect model analysis on 229 regions. The results showed that the greater the number of LTIHC institutions per 1,000 older adults, the lower the suicide rate among older adults was statistically significant (b=-6.007, p<.01). Additionally, there was a difference between urban and rural areas in the effect of the number of LTIHC institutions per 1,000 older adults on the suicide rate among older adults (b=-5.818, p<.1). Therefore, we found that expanding the number of LTIHC institutions in the community served as a protective factor in lowering suicide rates among older adults. We also confirmed that LTIHC institutions were more effective in alleviating the suicide rate among older adults in urban areas than in rural areas. Based on the findings of this study, we discuss the importance of establishing and expanding LTIHC institutions to prevent suicide problems among older adults and suggest the need for suicide prevention interventions that take regional differences into account.

ABSTRACT. Coexistence between different age groups is an important factor for the sustainability of society and well-being of its members. In particular, age mainstreaming is drawing attention in the process of policy to achieve equality and improve the quality of life among members of society. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an Age Sensitivity Indicator (ASI) as a means of promoting age mainstreaming, and to analyze the current status of age sensitivity in Korea using ASI. (1) To develop the ASI, literature reviews were conducted, and a Delphi survey with 27 experts was performed to gain further insights. The results yielded ASIs comprising 9 categories and 46 specific items, including ‘population and family structure, ‘ ‘housing and regional distribution, ‘ ‘education, ‘ ‘health and welfare, ‘ ‘economic activity and employment, ‘ ‘asset and financial accessibility, ‘ ‘legal rights and pollical fields, ‘ ‘violence against specific age groups,’ and ‘civic, leisure, cultural activities and social participation.’ (2) After the ASI was developed, the existing statistical data for age sensitivity were analyzed to show the current status of age sensitivity by region in Korea. The analysis of age sensitivity in Korea revealed an age inequality problem in major categories and items. And for some issues (e.g. education, health and welfare), the age sensitivity status differed across regions. For example, in the case of participation in informal education, older adults (65+ years) experienced more inequality than other age groups, and the metropolitan area showed a lower level of age sensitivity than the non-metropolitan area. Based on the findings of this study, we provide essential sources for developing policies and programs that reflect the needs and characteristics of each age group, thereby significantly contributing to the understanding of diverse social and economic demands based on age.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the validity of social measures on licensed caregivers’ (LCs) awareness of human rights, focusing on elder abuse prevention and person-centered care. Using data from 1,050 LCs, human rights awareness was analyzed across decision-making, anti-discrimination, individualized care, anti-abuse, and rights advocacy. A dual-method approach—Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Latent Profile Analysis (LPA)—was employed to structure the components of human rights awareness and classify underlying patterns among LCs.

EFA identified three core factors of human rights awareness: (1) Person-centered Care, (2) Anti-abuse, and (3) Insensitive Care. LPA classified caregivers into five distinct profiles: (1) Basic-awareness Human Rights (BAR), (2) Sensitiveness to only Abuse (SOA), (3) Unawareness of Human Rights (UHR), (4) Sensitiveness to Human Rights (SHR), and (5) Unassertiveness in Advocacy Rights (UAR). SHR emerged as the largest group, indicating that most caregivers demonstrated high sensitivity toward human rights.

The findings reveal the inadequacy of uniform training programs, emphasizing the need for tailored educational approaches. Caregivers focused solely on abuse prevention require broader human rights education, while those lacking advocacy skills need targeted empowerment training. In-person and blended training methods proved particularly effective in enhancing caregivers’ understanding and advocacy capabilities through hands-on learning.

Critical intervention points were identified for UHR and UAR caregivers, particularly those with 2-6 years of experience, a stage where burnout risks are heightened. Structured, competency-based training during this early-to-mid career phase can significantly improve knowledge, advocacy skills, and overall confidence. Additionally, nearly one-fourth of caregivers lacked adequate training, receiving either no education or only online instruction, limiting their capacity to address complex client needs effectively.

These findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive, continuous education that integrates theoretical knowledge with practical advocacy skills. Targeted interventions are crucial to improving care quality, promoting a rights-based approach, and strengthening advocacy in caregiving environments.

ABSTRACT. This study evaluates the effectiveness of integrating AI and Big Data education into the social welfare curriculum to enhance students' competencies. As core technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution—such as IoT, AI, and Big Data—become increasingly prevalent across various sectors, welfare professionals must develop technological expertise to address complex societal challenges effectively. Specifically, AI-driven machine learning technologies have become crucial for forecasting risks and facilitating early interventions in social welfare. To address this need, the study implemented an education program combining social welfare with technological training. Three specialized training sessions were conducted for 26 students enrolled in a Social Welfare Research Methods course. The curriculum featured practical applications of tools such as word clouds, BIGKinds keyword analysis, and machine learning models to address social welfare issues. A pretest-posttest experimental design was employed to measure changes in students’ AI literacy, Big Data literacy, and problem-solving skills. Statistical analysis using paired t-tests revealed significant improvements across all three domains following the training. The findings underscore the necessity of equipping social welfare students with foundational technological skills to bridge the gap between technology and social welfare. For non-majors, such interdisciplinary education fosters innovation and problem-solving. For social welfare students, integrating AI and Big Data provides transformative opportunities to enhance professional competencies while upholding core field values. By leveraging these technologies, students are better prepared to address pressing social issues, drive social impact, and advance innovation in social welfare practices. This approach cultivates professionals capable of applying technology to improve societal outcomes, positioning them as leaders in addressing the challenges of a rapidly evolving, technology-driven world.

ABSTRACT. Unwanted loneliness has become a serious public health problem plaguing modern societies. Awareness of loneliness has increased in recent years due to its serious health consequences, but much remains to be done to advance our understanding of this phenomenon. To this end, we draw on the richness of the “Living and Working in the EU and Neighboring Countries” survey developed by Eurofound to analyze the impact of loneliness on life satisfaction, and to identify which factors may exacerbate or mitigate it and the socio-demographic groups most vulnerable to loneliness in Europe. Unlike other research, we worked with a large sample of European countries and with a large number of observations, thus avoiding the biases inherent in studies with small samples, a very common drawback in this type of study.

The results obtained show the strong impact of loneliness on life satisfaction. With regard to loneliness, it is observed that loneliness is more frequent among people between 16 and 29 years of age, those who live alone and those who suffer greater social exclusion. In relation to the degree of individualism existing in society, it is observed that greater individualism reduces the probability of feeling lonely. These results demonstrate that loneliness is a complex phenomenon influenced by multiple factors, and represent an important advance in the measurement and understanding of loneliness in Europe.

ABSTRACT. In Japan, while the rate of solitary dining among elderly individuals living alone is high, studies suggest that the rate of shared dining increases with caregiving, involvement with children, work, and social activities (Kaneko and Hanada 2016). To further promote shared meals among elderly individuals living alone, it is imperative to encourage dining with individuals outside their immediate family. Nevertheless, the participation rate among elderly males remains low, with substantial barriers to involvement in volunteer and hobby group activities. As a result, establishing an intergenerational support system presents a significant challenge (Kimura et al., 2022). Japan faces declining family support, shrinking social security systems, and a rising poverty rate among the elderly population. Furthermore, the health and autonomy of the elderly exhibit significant disparities. Consequently, providing the elderly with packaged social participation opportunities is unlikely to be effective. Moreover, merely encouraging or promoting social participation is unlikely to result in active and independent social engagement, especially for those grappling with social isolation. This report examines the social well-being of the elderly by analyzing the participant observation records from a project designed to prevent solitary dining. Interviews with staff members from the organization overseeing the project will further offer multifaceted perspectives on the issue. This analysis will explore how staff interpret this project and provide insights into developing "a system of social participation linked to local communities and local resources" that encourages "active and independent social participation as part of the daily lives of the elderly."

ABSTRACT. Prior research highlights the critical role of children’s daily activities in shaping their life satisfaction and emotional health, emphasizing the importance of balanced daily routines. Time spent with parents and engaging in physical activities consistently correlates with higher levels of well-being, while excessive screen time, particularly on smartphones, is linked to increased anxiety and depression. There is a clear need for research on the impact of time use patterns on children’s subjective well-being (SWB) in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries due to the unique socio-cultural and economic contexts of the region. Existing studies predominantly focus on Western Europe, North America, and Asia, leaving a gap in understanding how daily routines, shaped by local educational systems, cultural norms, and economic pressures, affect children in CEE countries. The paper will provide an in-depth analysis of the variation in children's time use patterns across six Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (Albania, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania) and examine their impact on children's subjective well-being (SWB), as measured by various psychometric scales. Time-use patterns refer to the allocation of time for different daily activities, such as household chores, family interactions, physical activity and time spent in front of a screen, which together shape children's routines and experiences. Particular attention will be given to the differences in these relationships concerning the child’s gender and age. The analysis will utilize data collected from over 13,500 school children aged 10 and 12 participating in the children’s subjective well-being study, which was conducted as a part of the third wave of the Children's Worlds survey.

ABSTRACT. Background: The world’s population is aging rapidly that poses increasing demands for health care workforces in the long-term care (LTC) sector. Despite efforts in recruiting and retaining workforces in the field, the LTC sector is encountering long-standing difficulties in meeting demand and supply. Research supported that the well-being of health care workforce significantly impacts on quality of care provided and client satisfaction. However, there are various perspectives defining the concept of wellbeing. The aim of this integrative review is to review the concept of well-being from current literature in order to guide further research direction on well-being studies.

Methods: Literature review was conducted by searching databases including Ovid and Medline. Literature published within 2014-2024 were included. This integrative review summarise key concepts of well-being adopted from current knowledge.

Results: Well-being is a complex construct that highlights the optimal experiences and functioning of individuals. Well-being is a positive state experienced by societies and individuals, and is influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors. It comprises the capacity of both individuals and societies to make meaningful and purposeful contributions to the world and their overall quality of life. There are several dimensions of well-being that contribute to enhanced employee performance in the workplace such as physical health, social welfare, emotional wellness, and societal well-being. Individuals with high levels of well-being demonstrate enhanced workplace productivity, enhanced physical health and longevity, and improved job performance.

Conclusion: Health care workforces are vital assets to the sustainability of the LTC sector. It is necessary to better understand the concept of well-being. With such understanding, it can guide the direction of future research addressing the well-being of health care workforce in LTC sector.

Acknowledgement: The work described in this paper was fully supported by the Hong Kong Metropolitan University research grant (Project Ref. No. PFDS/2024/30).

ABSTRACT. In Taiwan, a significant proportion of adolescents who have completed juvenile justice dispositions have prior involvement with multiple service systems. Data from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed that 23.2% of these individuals were previously involved in child protection cases, while 28.9% had received services for high-risk or vulnerable families. Furthermore, data from the Bureau of Corrections indicate that 12.5% of juvenile delinquents were from vulnerable or crisis family backgrounds prior to their justice system involvement. These findings highlight the experiences of "crossover youth" in Taiwan, who navigate the complexities of multiple service systems throughout their development, particularly during the transition to young adulthood. This study explores how service providers within the juvenile justice system can assist justice-involved youth in developing positive developmental capacities. Adopting a positive youth development perspective, this study examines the manifestation of the 5Cs (competence, confidence, character, caring, and connection) among justice-involved youth in their community settings. In-depth interviews were conducted with juvenile probation officers, community youth workers, and correctional school teachers. The findings indicate that: 1) For justice-involved youth, key aspects of capacity development include academic, vocational, career, and emotional skills; 2) Given the high prevalence of childhood adversity among justice-involved youth, service providers need to be highly attuned to and guide these youth in expressing and identifying their emotions, particularly in the areas of emotional and character development. Loneliness was identified as the most common emotion experienced by justice-involved youth in their daily lives; 3) While peer groups can provide a sense of belonging and support for justice-involved youth who have faced childhood adversity, they may also contribute to delinquent behavior due to peer influence. Based on these findings, the study provides recommendations related to trauma-informed care and promoting developmental assets for justice-involved youth.

ABSTRACT. This paper develops a novel theoretical framework for analyzing the relationship between economic integration and quality of life, introducing the Dynamic Quality of Life Integration Model (DQLIM). Our approach synthesizes economic, social, and institutional factors while explicitly accounting for cross-country heterogeneity and temporal dynamics. Using quarterly panel data from 38 OECD countries spanning 1990-2023, we demonstrate that the welfare effects of economic integration follow complex non-linear patterns moderated by institutional capacity and social capital. Through a three-stage estimation strategy combining panel cointegration analysis, threshold regression, and network effects estimation, we identify specific thresholds in institutional quality (0.68 on the WGI scale) and social capital (0.45 on our normalized index) that determine the effectiveness of economic integration policies. Our findings reveal that traditional GDP-based analyses significantly underestimate the role of social networks and institutional quality in mediating the integration-welfare relationship. Results indicate heterogeneous effects across income levels, with integration benefits varying from 0.245 for high-income countries to 0.512 for low-income countries (standard errors 0.042 and 0.073, respectively). The dynamic analysis reveals distinct adjustment periods for integration impact (2-3 quarters), institutional adaptation (4-6 quarters), and social capital evolution (6-8 quarters). These findings suggest that successful economic integration requires careful sequencing of institutional development and social capital investment, with particular attention to country-specific conditions and threshold effects.

ABSTRACT. Background: The Community Wellbeing Index (CWI) is an instrument that measures wellbeing within the community where a person lives, from the individual’s subjective perspective, and comprises three domains: Community services, Community attachment, and Physical and social environment. This study compares the CWI by country (Australia, South Africa and Spain), controlling for age and sex. Methods: The CWI was administered to 677 participants in Australia (English), 400 in South Africa (Setswana) and 1106 in Spain (Spanish). Culturally translated and adapted versions were used to ensure comparability of the CWI. CWI domains ranged from 3 to 15 points, with higher scores indicating higher community wellbeing. ANOVA tests were used to analyze scores in CWI domains by country adjusting by age and sex. Results: The domain Community services obtained an estimated adjusted mean of 9.32 (standard error, SE:0.14) in Australia, 8.40 (SE: 0.17) in South Africa, and 9.22 (SE:0.11) in Spain, with significant differences between South Africa and both Spain and Australia (p<0.05), but not between Spain and Australia. In Community attachment, the estimated marginal means were 9.29 (SE:0.14) for Australia, 9.67 (SE: 0.17) for South Africa, and 10.52 (SE:0.10) for Spain, with significant differences between Spain and both South Africa and Australia but not between South Africa and Australia. Estimated marginal means for Physical and social environment were: 8.10 (SE:0.14) in Australia, 8.45 (SE: 0.18) in South Africa and 9.01 (SE:0.11) in Spain, with Spanish scores being significantly higher compared to Australia and South Africa. For the three domains, scores differed significantly by age but not by sex within countries. Conclusions: This study highlights significant differences across countries in three domains of community wellbeing. Age differences should be taken into account when comparing and the analysis should also consider cultural, socioeconomic and environment characteristics to further clarify the observed disparities.

ABSTRACT. This concept paper synthesises the findings of happiness research from philosophy, (organisational) psychology, economics, sociology, politics and sustainability and develops the “Holistic Framework Model of Happiness Literacy“ through a narrative-integrative literature review. The model brings together objective living and working conditions as well as subjective facets of well-being and serves as an integrated orientation for interdisciplinary happiness research. A holistic concept termed “Happiness Literacy“ is introduced and it is illustrated how this competence approach can contribute to a happier society. Both philosophers and happiness researchers agree that the pursuit of happiness is the summum bonum, the highest purpose of man. However, the literature synthesis shows that happiness in modern societies is oftentimes seen as an instrument for other, often material, purposes, which alienates people from their human nature. Happiness Literacy is therefore necessary to enable people at political, organisational and individual level to return to their true purpose by becoming aware of the universal confusion of ends and means.

In politics, Happiness Literacy involves decision-makers incorporating happiness research findings and measurements instead of pursuing economic growth as the ultimate goal. Despite economic growth, people often fail to make happiness-maximising decisions due to hedonic, positional and other treadmill effects. To be able to escape the treadmills on an individual level through self-reflection, it needs education systems that promote personal development. As escaping the consumption-promoting treadmills might synergistically contribute to sustainable consumption, a great potential of thinking together happiness and sustainability emerges. In organisational contexts, Happiness Literacy implies knowing one’s strengths, values and interests and finding a suitable workplace. However, as management literature attempts to instrumentalise employee happiness for profit although the economic imperative often contradicts moral development, value-based happiness is only symbolically addressed, contributing to a loss of meaning. Thus, managers should reveal and discuss tensions between corporate logics and happiness.

ABSTRACT. This paper aims to explore the importance of natural environment on people’s quality of life, focusing on the specific case of Spain. The theoretical framework of the extinction of experience proposed by Soga and Gaston (2016), argues that people are experiencing a diminishing experience of natural environments, due to the loss of opportunities to access natural places and the loss of orientation towards nature. Previous works in this vein highlights the connection of the natural environment with quality of life, as loss of experience is empirically linked to lower wellbeing and poorer health. To understand the extinction of experience we propose a synthetic indicator of the extinction of experience, including data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in its Multidimensional Indicator of Quality of Life (IMCV) and information provided by the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO). We relate this indicator with life satisfaction, as a proxy of the quality of life, which is negatively related to the dissatisfaction of the environment dimension on the indicator. The results indicate that the coastal areas of the South of Spain and the Canary Islands are those that are worse off. Generally, and given the importance of the environment in the quality of life, the results claim for urgent political action in order to better preserve the environment in Spain.

ABSTRACT. Background: How is economic inequality related to prosocial behavior? Some theorists predict that economic inequality is associated with less prosocial behavior (e.g. Côté et al, 2015; Solt, 2008; Uslaner & Brown, 2005), while others predict that economic inequality is associated with more prosocial behavior (e.g. Fehr & Schmidt, 1999; Mastromatteo & Russo, 2017). We systematically gather empirical research and use meta-analysis to examine the overall relationship between economic inequality and prosocial behavior, also examining potential moderators.

Method: We first identified existing studies on economic inequality and prosocial behavior, by searching databases (SSCI; EBSCO), backward and forward searching and emailing authors of identified articles, and publicly calling for data. Eligible studies included quantitative measures of economic inequality and prosocial behavior, and provided enough statistical information to estimate effect sizes. We examined five moderator types: study characteristics (e.g. study design, type of data, and year of data collection), participant characteristics (e.g. country, percent females, average age), prosocial behavior operationalization (e.g. type, measure, source, unit of analysis), economic inequality operationalization (e.g. type, measure, unit of analysis), and the academic discipline of the journal.

Results: Results from 192 effect sizes (100 studies) from 2.5+ million observations find that overall, there is a small, negative relationship between economic inequality and prosocial behaviour (r=−0.064, p=0.004). Inequality was associated with less volunteering, r=-0.062, p=0.010 (k=53), and marginally less charitable giving, r=-0.091, p=0.055 (k=124), but was unrelated to informally helping others, r=0.018, p=0.381 (k=15). We also tested a variety of potential moderators covering study characteristics, participant characteristics, operationalizations of prosocial behaviour and economic inequality, and academic discipline. There was generally no consistent evidence that results depend upon these moderators.

Conclusion: Overall, economic inequality is associated with less prosocial behavior. We will review implications and future directions of our work in the presentation.

ABSTRACT. Background: Social media and smartphones are widely considered as key contributors to adolescent mental health trends (APA, 2024; Murthy, 2024). Yet research shows that youth have different experiences with social media, that are not solely negative, and that teens' wellbeing is influenced by factors in their online and offline lives (Weinstein, Davis, & James, 2024; Coyne et al., 2022; Moreno et al., 2022). In a national study of U.S. teens, we investigated the prevalence of different pressures, how teens say social technologies contribute to and/or alleviate those pressures, and their connection to burnout.

Method: We conducted a nationally representative survey with 1545 American teens in Oct-Nov 2023, asking about their experiences with burnout and these pressures: game plan (future planning), achievement (current), appearance, social life, friendship, and activism.

Results: 81% of teens reported one or more of the pressures: game plan (56%), achievement (53%), and appearance (51%) were most prevalent. We found complex relationships between social media usage patterns and adolescent experiences of pressure and burnout. Notably, adolescents reported multiple contributors to pressures, including school adults, parents, and social media; these sometimes also alleviated pressures or had no effect. For example, adolescents reported that parents and family members can reduce pressures around appearance (28.9%) and social life (27.2%), and social media at least sometimes reduces pressures around friendship (51%), achievement (45%), and game plan (44%). Yet, overall, frequent use of social media was associated with higher pressures (r=.31, p<0.001) and burnout (r=.10, p<.001). However, some apps (YouTube, Facebook, social gaming) were unrelated to burnout, p>.05. Results are cross-sectional, so we cannot make causal claims.

Conclusion: Overall, while social media use intensity correlates with increased pressures and burnout symptoms, the relationships have unclear causal directions, and are platform-specific and complex, with different platforms amplifying or reducing teen’s respective pressures.

ABSTRACT. This paper analyzes the impact of parental mental health and well-being on child socio-educational achievement. Using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), I identify a positive association between various measures of parental well-being with indicators of school achievement – i.e as grades at various stages - and markers of socio-emotional development (general health, mental health, drug and alcohol use). More specifically, I find that life satisfaction reports appear to be more strongly associated with positive child outcomes than other measures of mental well-being such as the GHQ-12, depressive symptoms and unhappiness. These results hold when controlling for both parents’ education level, employment status, age, ethnicity, household income and size and district level dummies. Looking at the possible intermediate channels, I observe that maternal and paternal well-being are not systematically associated in the same manner with children’s outcomes. Overall, although both parents’ reported well-being is associated with more educational and emotional support, more willingness to study, and more self-worth from the children, maternal well-being appears as a stronger predictor of children’s positive outcomes than paternal well-being. Along the same lines, I expanded my analysis by focusing on single mothers and highlight that maternal life satisfaction and particularly mental health seem to have a wider influence on child’s outcomes compared to households where both parents are present. What’s more, life satisfaction reports show a convex relationship with most child outcomes while the relationship is similarly concave for negative well-being markers. In other words, it seems more important to have parents declaring to be very satisfied and not parents that feature mental health problems than the reverse. Finally, exploiting a seemingly exogenous variation in neighbors’ friendliness, I offer suggestive evidence of a causal channel between parental well-being and children’s positive outcomes.

ABSTRACT. In contemporary community development practice, involving local people in planning and implementing projects has been demonstrated to help meet their needs and improve their well-being. Local participation is not only essential to the process of community development but is also vital for fostering individual and collective empowerment, enhancing resilience, fostering local leadership, and ensuring the sustainability of development efforts. However, literature on participatory development has traditionally focused on institutionalized forms of participation, often neglecting the equally important “Informal Participation.” In recent years, community participation has been increasingly emphasized, characterized by subtle and often unnoticed actions emerging within the gaps of formalized structures. Although less visible, these unnoticed actions significantly influence community dynamics and actions by operating beneath the surface of formalized procedures. This points out a critical gap in existing scholarship: the challenge of linking informal participation to tangible project outcomes due to the lack of explicit mechanisms and theoretical frameworks. Our theoretical and empirical literature review of Informal Participation within the sub-Saharan African (SSA) context was fascinating in its expression. Informal participation dynamically unfolds as individual and collective actions by communities, which sometimes work in parallel, in cooperation, and often in opposition to formalized structures driven by shared understanding to improve community well-being. These activities are commonly driven by social capital expressed in normative values and cultures, including communalism, solidarity, a sense of belonging, and collectivism. These societal norms drive the participatory behavior of community members for sustainable community development efforts. Considering the literature gap, the review makes a case for decolonizing participatory models within the SSA context for a more integrative model that embeds local knowledge into community development practice.

ABSTRACT. Research consistently underscores the critical role of meaning-making (the process of searching and finding a coherent, purposeful, and worthwhile life; Martela & Steger, 2016; Zambelli & Tagliabue, 2024) in the development of a stable sense of self and identity during adolescence. Recent academic debates emphasized the need to understand how meaning-making unfolds in daily life within the broader social and cultural contexts young people navigate (e.g., Heintzelman & King, 2019; Newman et al., 2021). Additionally, there is a growing demand for personalized interventions tailored to the unique resources and developmental needs of adolescents. This contribution presents the rationale behind the Young & Meaningful project, funded by Fondazione Cariplo (Italy), which addresses these gaps. Over three years, the project aims: to discriminate adaptive vs maladaptive patterns of meaning-making activation among late adolescents, using inclusive and fair methods and procedures; to implement a personalized intervention tailored to each adolescent's meaning-making profile to support their positive growth trajectories; to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the intervention in a sample of adolescents with varying socio-cultural backgrounds and risk factors for becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). The first study will employ an Intensive Longitudinal Methodology to investigate how late adolescents engage in MM in their daily lives at home and school by identifying adaptive and non-adaptive profiles. Inclusive statistical methods and procedures will be implemented to account for the diversity of adolescents’ socio-cultural backgrounds and risk factors. The second study involves designing Young & Meaningful, an experiential intervention personalizable to adolescent’s meaning-making profile and needs. Finally, the third study will use an experimental measurement burst design to evaluate the intervention’s effectiveness, feasibility, and transferability in the daily lives of late adolescents. The project presents significant theoretical and methodological challenges, which are outlined in the poster to stimulate discussion with the audience.

ABSTRACT. Background Many school health promotion programs, including check-ups, projects like SCHOOL HEALTH HERO, and health knowledge assessments, are implemented by various agencies. While beneficial, their increasing number disrupts teaching and learning due to overlaps in approaches and indicators. This study aims to develop policy recommendations and implementation strategies for integrating these programs within Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) schools, focusing on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention. Methodology This project is an action research study that gathers data from stakeholders. The main activities include exchange efforts through discussion meetings and workshops with relevant agencies, including the OBEC and other organizations responsible for student health promotion and prevention programs. A total of five exchange effort meetings are planned for data sharing and discussions. Subsequently, qualitative data will be synthesized. Results Schools under the OBEC implement an average of 4.7 health promotion projects per year, adding to the teaching workload of teachers and students. Each project includes numerous performance indicators, many of which overlap, creating additional burdens for teachers who must ensure project success and prepare reports based on these indicators. Recommendations on the role of OBEC; 1)The OBEC should established a clear internal organizational structure to analyze the redundancy of health promotion programs before they are implemented in affiliated schools. 2)To avoid health promotion projects being used inappropriately, OBEC should establish clear guidelines prohibiting their use in academic performance assessments of school administrators and teachers. 3)The Ministry of Public Health and OBEC should allocate sufficient budgets to support the implementation of health promotion programs, helping to reduce the burden on teachers regarding documentation and project execution.

ABSTRACT. Well-being and justice, or the “good and the right”, have been for a long time discussed and analyzed in tandem. However, economists have come to treat them separately since the beginning of the 20th century, mostly to establish a positive epistemology and to study the theoretical relation between choice and welfare (both individual and collective). Recent developments in interdisciplinary research have tried to grasp happiness and subjective well-being (SWB) using a more comprehensive and empirical approach. Yet, this approach has not led to a reconnection to social ethics and justice considerations, nor has it fully convinced economists who often still rely on choices and well-behaved preferences. Thus, this conceptual paper aims to examine the complementarity between the different approaches to well-being and tries to argue how well-being should be construed. I argue for a social ethics-grounded conceptualization of well-being, consistent with Amartya Sen’s argument for the reconnection of ethics and economics. It also shows how well-being relates to social justice and why they should be thought of conjointly. It finally examines some new measures and approaches to well-being, such as the equivalent income (EI) or the eudemonic well-being (EWB), to see how they relate to each other, to the normative idea of justice, and to Sen’s capability approach. This paper contributes to welfare economics and to the literature on well-being and quality of life using economic philosophy arguments.

ABSTRACT. Changes in daily life due to COVID-19 have negatively impacted the mental health of older adults. Older Koreans already have a high risk of suicide, and it can be expected that the sudden and large-scale crisis of COVID-19 will increase their risk of suicide. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how life changes due to COVID-19 affect suicidal thoughts among older men and women and to confirm whether depression has a mediating effect on this relationship. We used data from the 2021 Community Health Survey of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We conducted a descriptive statistical analysis, independent sample t-test, and logistic mediation analysis of 72,944 people aged 65 years or older. The key findings are as follows: First, one in 10 respondents had suicidal thoughts, and the rate of suicidal thoughts was higher among women (11.2%) than among men (6.7%). Second, the degree to which daily life was halted due to COVID-19 was more severe for women than for men, and depression levels were also higher in women than in men. Third, the results of the logistic mediation analysis showed that life changes due to COVID-19 do not directly affect suicidal thoughts, but indirectly affect them through depression among older men (full mediation effect). On the other hand, for older women, life changes due to COVID-19 not only have a direct impact on suicidal thoughts, but also have an indirect impact through depression (partial mediation effect). Based on these results, we discussed policy and practical implications for preventing suicidal thoughts in older adults during pandemics such as COVID-19, which negatively impact their daily lives. Furthermore, we discussed the importance of preventing suicide among older adults by reducing depression and suggested the need for a suicide prevention approach that considers gender characteristics.

ABSTRACT. Increasingly, there is discourse emphasizing the importance of 'holistic education,' which includes abilities such as social and emotional intelligence. This underscores the importance of focusing on children's social and emotional skills. This is especially crucial for children in remote areas, where the impact of such skills can be even more significant. This study operates on the belief that nurturing children’s well-being is as important as supporting their academic achievements and knowledge acquisition. In collaboration with the Teach for Taiwan Foundation (TFT), a non-profit organization committed to addressing educational inequality in Taiwan, this research examines the impact of remote-area schools and teachers on children, with a specific focus on their subjective well-being and socio-emotional skills.

Participants in this study include students from grades 3 to 6 (ages 9–12) in both TFT-partnered and local non-partnered schools, totaling approximately 800 students. Measures of children’s socio-emotional skills and well-being are adapted from the OECD’s Study on Social and Emotional Skills and guidelines on children's well-being. The Tripod Student Surveys were used to measure students' perceptions of teachers' instructional care. Data collection began in early October of 2024 and will continue for three years, with this study emphasizing findings from the first year.

Preliminary findings indicate that a lack of family support, limited educational resources, and economic pressures are common challenges faced by children in this study. Teachers who provide consistent companionship and nurturing support play a critical role in fostering children’s well-being. Children who perceive greater support from their teachers report higher levels of subjective well-being, regardless of whether the teachers are part of the TFT program or not. The findings offer valuable insights to support advocacy for educational reform in remote areas, indorse children’s rights to expression, and actively develop intervention models that strengthen children’s well-being and socio-emotional skills in school settings.

ABSTRACT. Aim: Ibasho is a Japanese concept. The World bank published Ibasho Toolkit in 2019. It described Ibasho as “a place where you can feel like at home, being oneself”. It is also a place where a person feels a sense of belonging and purpose resulting from the social relationships associated with that place. Suicide is the first cause of death for children and adolescents in Japan. Many experts emphasized that it is important for them to have Ibasho as the third place except family or school to feel safe. This report tested if existing Ibasho improves children's and adolescents’ well-being.

Methods: Longitudinal surveys were conducted in Japan since 2019. The survey items include happiness, Ibasho, age, gender, health, income, school attainment, suicide ideation, and satisfaction with family. They covered persons aged from 15 to 24. Ordinary least squared regression (OLS) and random effect model (RE) were applied.

Results: As results from OLS and RE, Ibasho positively improved their happiness. Whether or not there is Ibasho, a third place, is important for children and adolescents. A policy to increase Ibasho places could be a key for communities. The details will be reported at the conference.

ABSTRACT. Children are born into this world with differing life chances and unequal opportunities. Inequalities may further increase over the course of life, for instance, due to global crises. Social policy plays a critical role in addressing inequality through systems like child and family welfare. From an equity perspective, providing children at different starting points with equal treatment does not necessarily lead to equitable outcomes. Based on Veenhoven’s (2000) approach of four life qualities, children’s life results are related to two kinds of life chances - the livability of the environment and the life-ability of the child. Policies that focus on the needs of the average family, without accounting for external factors or personal capabilities, risk being insufficiently effective. Therefore, a shift toward equity-focused approaches is essential to ensure all children receive the necessary support to realize their full potential.

The aim of this paper is to explore equality and equity within the child welfare system. The research is based on data from the Estonia’s Social Services and Benefits Registry (STAR). The anonymized child protection cases enable determining the child's life chances and result from the moment they enter the view of the child protection system and to observe those during the following interventions. Children in the sample are from vulnerable target groups, those who have experienced maltreatment or have health issues, children in out-of-home care or in closed institutions. The research aims to fill the gap in existing child data where the coverage of the most marginalized children is poor. The findings call to reexamine the universal services paradigm and enhance more equitable, proactive and early support in investing in children.

References: Veenhoven, R. The Four Qualities of Life. Journal of Happiness Studies 1, 1–39 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010072010360

ABSTRACT. In recent decades, the relevance of subjective well-being indicators for understanding the quality of life in a society has become increasingly clear [Stiglitz et al. 2009, Stiglitz et al. 2018, OECD 2013 and 2024]. In Italy, the system of indicators for measuring equitable and sustainable well-being (the so-called BES project), which is regularly updated by the Italian National Institute of Statistics, is a useful tool for analysing the situation of specific population groups. The BES reports have documented the deterioration in the subjective well-being of young people in 2021, following the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected life satisfaction, social relations and concerns for the future [ISTAT, BES Report 2021 et seq.]. Monitoring young people's well-being may have an even broader significance, as the perceptions, definitions and actions reported by individuals can also give an indication of future prospects (whether personal, such as health, or collective, like concern for the environment). The aim of this work is twofold: on the one hand, to monitor the well-being of young people in terms of life satisfaction, relationship and psychological well-being; on the other hand, to capture their vision of the future, both at an individual level (future prospects) and at a broader level (concern about climate change and biodiversity). Data from the annual ISTAT survey on aspects of daily life, widely used for BES indicators, allow us to focus on the evolution of several aspects related to the population aged 15-24, between 2016 and 2023. This contribution is intended as a further step in the analysis of young people's well-being. We are also interested in the relationship between current well-being and visions of the future, as we believe that from a sustainability perspective it is very important to know young people's visions and expectations regarding their personal lives and more general issues.

ABSTRACT. Bangkachao, the important and largest greenspace community near Bangkok, has been threatened by several water issues such as increasing salinity, polluted water and floods. The study conducted a participatory action research (PAR) project on water management with community participation, which aims to solve these problems from the bottom up approach. The collective efforts of the research group and local stakeholders proved very effective in solving water management issues and sharing knowledge. Tangible results include a significant change in the main Watergate management to solve saltwater problems and the creation of an accurate map of existing canals showing water connection and control points, which support local understanding of water management. Moreover, the community also gains from knowledge sharing and understanding of water issues to monitor water quality from statistical data and technical tools. Human and social capital gains are seen in longer-term work and continued efforts to monitor water problems. The research shows that community engagement in the management of water resources can enhance sustainability

Keywords:

Sustainability, water management, community engagement, Bangkachao, Thailand

ABSTRACT. Since the 1990s, the traditional needs-based approach to community development has increasingly been replaced by the asset-based community development (ABCD) model, which focuses on leveraging community strengths. This model emphasizes the role of human resources, particularly local leaders and volunteers, in fostering growth and improving the well-being of residents. In Taiwan, community leadership and volunteerism have become critical in addressing the challenges of modernization and urbanization. This study examines the relationship between community leadership, volunteerism, and residents' well-being, using data collected from 682 community residents across Taiwan. The study utilized a self-administered group survey approach, supplemented by face-to-face interviews for individuals unable to partake in the group format. Data collection took place from January to February 2021. Through structural equation modeling, the analysis reveals strong associations between community leadership, volunteerism, and well-being, with leadership directly influencing well-being and volunteerism acting as a partial mediator. The findings indicate a strong positive relationship between community leadership and volunteerism (β = 0.50, p < 0.001). Community leadership also shows a positive association with well-being (β = 0.56, p < 0.01), while volunteerism had a direct effect on well-being (β = 0.15, p < 0.01). These results support Hypotheses. The indirect effect of community leadership on well-being via volunteerism was 0.07 (p < 0.001), and the total effect of community leadership on well-being was 0.63 (p < 0.001). Thus, 11% of community leadership’s effect on well-being was mediated by volunteerism (0.07/0.63). The findings highlight the importance of leadership in mobilizing volunteer efforts and improving residents' quality of life, offering insights into how the ABCD model can enhance community development in diverse contexts.

ABSTRACT. A particularly salient goal of academic institutions, globally, is to enhance the quality of life (QoL) and well-being of the communities they serve through effective research and outreach. It is for this purpose that a team of multi-disciplinary researchers from the University of Kentucky, United States, University of Johannesburg, South Africa and Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, coalesced to examine the well-being of our collective international communities. When canvassing the globe, one thing is clear, domestic violence rises to the top as one of society’s wicked problems. Domestic violence can be defined as “willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another” (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2024, p. 1). Within the United States, one in four women and one in ten men will experience domestic violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime (Center for Disease Control & Prevention, 2024). The United States is not the only country to be impacted by domestic violence. In South Africa, gender-based violence is a crisis with twelve women being murdered daily. Likewise, New Zealand is ranked as the worst developed country for family violence, having the highest rate of intimate partner violence against women in the OECD (Ministry of Justice, 2023). While there is much interest locally, little has been examined from an international perspective, especially pertaining to the field of Quality-of-Life Studies. International research collaborations could have great impact politically and professionally as global trends are analyzed and best practices examined and implemented on an intercontinental scale. Throughout our presentation we will discuss how the synergy realized through intercontinental collaborations and expertise can contribute to addressing wicked societal issues, focusing specifically on the nexus of big data trends in community-engaged research.

ABSTRACT. We here exploit an exogenous shift in working conditions for public-sector workers in Italy to establish the causal effect of a return-to-office (RTO) mandate on worker health and well-being. In nine waves of quarterly panel data we first find a significant fall in teleworking for those affected by the RTO mandate, who also spend more time outdoors, work fewer hours, and interact less with relatives and friends. The net effect of these lifestyle changes on a battery of health and well-being measures following the return to office work is insignificant. Returning to the office has neither positive nor negative health implications.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the relationship between flexible working arrangements (FWA) and workers’ affective well-being (AWB), using data from the American Time-Use Survey (ATUS) and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). We analyze differences in workers’ emotional experiences during paid work, unpaid work, and leisure depending on the general availability of FWA within their occupation. Our findings reveal a significant negative association between teleworkability and AWB during labor activities for women, resulting in reduced day-average emotional well-being if jobs are also time-flexible. In contrast, we do not find significant associations between FWA and AWB during paid work for men. Additionally, we find no evidence of systematic spillovers to the AWB in non-labor activities for both men and women. Further nuanced findings regarding parents and the role of time flexibility underscore potential gender differences in the impact of FWA on well-being.

ABSTRACT. Over the past years, there has been increasing interest in the relationship between employee well-being and performance. Happier employees are believed to be happier, fitter, and more productive. At the same time, there is limited causal evidence for these claims. In this article, we match survey data on cabin crew well-being with customer satisfaction data. In this dataset, we know which cabin crew member served which customer on board of a plane and since cabin crew members are randomly assigned to planes, this can be considered a natural experiment. Using propensity score matching, we find a considerable effect of employee well-being on customer satisfaction. When a customer is assigned an unhappy cabin crew member, the customer is 25% more likely to give a negative customer satisfaction score than when the customer is assigned a happy cabin crew member.

ABSTRACT. Responding to the needs of residents is a vital activity of governments and investing in local infrastructure should improve the lives of all people who rely on it. The goal of this research is to examine the effects of good local governance on population-level subjective well-being (SWB) and to explore horizontal inequality according to neighborhood makeup in Chicago, a large city in the United States of America (US).

In this study we define local governance as pothole servicing (independent variable), calculated as the proportion of potholes filled relative to those reported in a zip code according to data from a government-operated 311 system that residents use to report issues requiring government response. Life satisfaction, our dependent variable, was measured using the Cantril Ladder from Gallup Daily, a nationally representative survey of SWB in the US. Individual reports of life satisfaction (0-10) were averaged at the zip code level. Preliminary statistical analysis was conducted in STATA using a 5% significance level. We also use ArcGIS Pro for further statistical analysis and to display our findings. Analysis included all 58 inhabited zip codes in Chicago.

We ran ordered logit regressions to assess the relationship between pothole servicing and life satisfaction, after controlling for total length of road, race, and education level in each zip code. Preliminary evidence suggests that good governance significantly contributes to higher life satisfaction in Chicago, but the effect may be impacted by neighborhood composition. We will test interactions between pothole servicing and race, income, and education to assess differential associations according to neighborhood. We will also examine these neighborhood differences using Geographically Weighted Regressions in ArcGIS. Our analysis leverages within-city variation in the management of pothole servicing and neighborhood makeup in the third largest US city and shows that such variation may explain neighborhood-level differences in SWB.

ABSTRACT. As the use of multidimensional metrics to assess complex aspects like well-being becomes commonplace in welfare economics, debates persist regarding conceptualization and methodological approaches. Our paper addresses this by proposing the application of Bayesian item response theory (IRT) to model Amartya Sen's capability approach by modeling individuals’ capabilities as latent traits. In doing so, we deviate from most existing studies by measuring capability for well-being instead of well-being. We specify a multidimensional graded response model within a Bayesian IRT framework, which has the important advantages of accounting for uncertainty and capturing the nuanced nature of individual well-being capability. This approach allows for a refined understanding of the likelihood of specific capabilities, aligning with the variability in individuals' abilities to convert resources into well-being. Utilizing cross-sectional data from four Southeastern European countries, Albania, Kosovo, Moldova, and Romania, we present aggregated findings by age, gender, and region. This study represents the first-ever attempt to apply the capability approach within an item response model to measure well-being capability.

ABSTRACT. The Sahel region, known for its economic integration and varying levels of development, has long struggled with fragmented household survey data, particularly before 2018, complicating efforts to assess inequality. This study addresses this challenge by harmonizing pre-2018 surveys through an innovative imputation methodology based on consistent and comparable household consumption data from the 2018 and 2021 WAEMU surveys across nine countries.

The approach employs Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS), incorporating dual random effects to account for national and regional heterogeneity, effectively capturing the complex economic dynamics of the Sahel. Using a pooled dataset from the 2018 WAEMU surveys, the analysis integrates key determinants of consumption, such as household composition, education, and employment. Preliminary results suggest that a log-normal distribution accurately reflects observed consumption patterns. However, challenges arise in standardizing measurement units and resolving discrepancies in survey design and timing for pre-2018 data.

This research contributes methodologically by accommodating heterogeneity within a unified framework, empirically by uncovering historical inequality trends, and practically through actionable policy recommendations to promote inclusive growth in the WAEMU context. By bridging data gaps and enhancing harmonization methods, the study provides a replicable model for other regions while setting the stage for future research into dynamic modeling and additional inequality determinants.

ABSTRACT. The built and natural environment—where people live, work, study, and engage in leisure—profoundly shapes daily life, influencing subjective well-being and quality of life. While neighbourhoods are key to promoting environmental justice, the links between environmental qualities, their perceptions, and well-being remain poorly understood. Through comparative, mixed-methods case studies across geographic and cultural contexts, we aim to understand the role of urban blue and green spaces, water security, governance arrangements, and social environments for well-being, leaving no person or place behind. We examine how disadvantaged groups, including residents in deprived neighbourhoods, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, women, migrants, and refugees, perceive their built and natural environments in Enschede, the Netherlands and Chiclayo, Peru. In Enschede, we also assess how urban blue spaces affect physical, social, and mental well-being. While water security through providing safe drinking water and blue spaces supports well-being and productivity by creating a pleasant living environment, water insecurity and poor access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) can increase water-related disease risks, harm well-being, quality of life, social relationships, and reduce productivity. Therefore, we further investigate the impact of water (in)security on well-being and productivity in planned and unplanned settlements of Nairobi, Kenya. In Cape Town, South Africa, we explore how governance arrangements in informal settlements can be improved by, and co-produced with, disadvantaged groups to strengthen community well-being and place identity. Prioritising the experiences and needs of disadvantaged groups from the Global North and South, and integrating community knowledge with scientific research, we aim to guide policymakers toward more equitable, inclusive and sustainable urban development, ensuring a high-wellbeing society with tangible improvements in the quality of life for all.  This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (WISER: Well-being in a Sustainable Economy Revisited, No. 101094546).

ABSTRACT. Between July 2023 and June 2024, the U.S. experienced a sudden and significant decline in fatal overdoses involving fentanyl. This unexpected trend has sparked debate about possible causes. Hypotheses include a shrinking pool of high-risk users due to prior fatalities, expanded access to treatment for opioid use disorder, intensified harm reduction efforts (e.g., Narcan and test strip distribution), and disruptions in drug supply due to law enforcement actions.

Despite this short-term decline, the U.S. has seen a steady increase in fatal drug overdoses over the past 45 years, posing a major threat to community wellbeing. Some suggest that the recent drop may reflect a return to a long-term trendline after a COVID-era spike—what the authors call “regression to the dynamic mean.”

This paper has two parts. First, to explore whether supply disruptions played a role in the recent decline, the authors analyze user-generated content on Reddit. They examine threads from six drug-related subreddits (e.g., r/fentanyl, r/opiates) from 2021 to 2024, focusing on mentions of drug shortages, price increases, and declining quality. Shortage-related posts—virtually absent in 2021–early 2023—rose to as much as 6% of threads in late 2023–2024. Mentions of rising prices and lower quality support the idea that supply tightened during this period.

Second, the paper considers long-term factors behind the 45-year rise in overdose deaths. It asks whether shifting public perceptions around drug use risks, or broader societal and economic changes, might eventually help reverse this trend.

Together, these analyses shed light on both short-term shifts and deeper, long-term dynamics that affect not only overdose rates but also the wellbeing of individuals and communities.

ABSTRACT. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a psychotherapy module proven effective in managing depression, substance use disorder and borderline personality disorder. This trial of an modified DBT skill training module adapted to alcohol use disorder aims to evaluate the effectiveness of DBT skill training in reducing the severity of alcohol addiction and improvement of coping skill, while assessing its acceptability and feasibility in Sabah, Malaysia. In this quasi-experimental study, a 12- week- modified DBT skill training program is introduced to 20 participants in rural areas of Penampang and Bundu Tuhan. The skill training sessions are conducted in group weekly in their community center, conducted concurrently with the same facilitators by each topic. The measured outcome are alcohol addiction severity using Addiction Severity Index (ASI-5), coping skills by using DBT Ways of Coping Checklist (DBT-WCCL) and a participant feedback assessment form. There is no significant improvement in the total score of ASI-5 (p=0.113), but a significant improvement in psychiatric composite score (p=0.002). All other composite score of medical, employment, alcohol, drug, family and legal composite are non-significant. No significant changes noted in DBT-WCCL score across all 3 subscales. This suggests the modified module helped in improving psychiatric wellness but failed to address the alcohol addiction, with no significant improvement in coping skills. This suggests that the proposed DBT skill training module requires further refinement and there are sociocultural factors in Sabah that may have influenced its effectiveness, requires further discussion.

ABSTRACT. Background: Chronic pain impacts quality of life (QoL) negatively, and often the goal of pain treatment is to improve QoL. A high prevalence of chronic pain has been reported among patients with substance use disorders (SUD), in particular women. However, we know little of how pain characteristics impact QoL in context with substance use patterns. The objectives of this study are 1) to explore gender differences in QoL among patients with SUD, with and without chronic pain, and 2) to assess the relationship between pain characteristics, substance use characteristics and QoL, with a focus on gender-specific variations.  Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1554 patients in specialist SUD-treatment in Norway provided information on life satisfaction (QoL-1, scale 0-10), employment status, substance use characteristics (use past 4 weeks, number of substances, injection use), and pain characteristics (pain duration, intensity, location, cause). We compared QoL for patients with and without chronic pain, for men (n=989) and women (n=554) separately. Further, we investigated how substance use and pain characteristics were associated with QoL through separate regression models for men and women. Results: The overall QoL among patients in treatment for SUD was low compared to the general Norwegian population. Women reported lower QoL compared to men, and patients with chronic pain reported lower QoL compared to those without pain. There were several sex differences in how substance use and pain characteristics were associated with QoL. Conclusion : In line with previous research, this study confirms notable gender differences, and underlines the importance of taking gender into consideration, in the association of chronic pain and QoL, in patients with SUD. Insight from this study may contribute to more effective, gender-sensitive treatment approaches, focusing on the unique needs of male and female patients with SUD and chronic pain.

ABSTRACT. Introduction: Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) pose significant public health challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa whose health system is constrained by infectious and non-communicable diseases. However, there is limited research on the treatment experiences, outcomes and quality of life impacts among this population. We assessed the treatment journeys, quality of life improvements, and treatment outcomes among individuals seeking care for SUDs in Uganda.

Methods: We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews among 16 patients (12 Males and 4 females with a mean age of 31 years) receiving treatment for SUDs at selected facilities in Uganda. Participants were randomly selected from a prior cohort study and included based on their willingness to share experiences. Trained research assistants conducted interviews using a qualitative guide to ensure consistency while allowing participants to share narratives. Audio recordings were transcribed and translated into English when conducted in local languages. Two researchers with expertise in psychology and public health collaboratively analyzed the data using Braun and Clarke's six-phase thematic analysis. The analysis followed an inductive approach to ground findings in the data.

Results: We identified five key themes: 1.Impact of substance use which highlighted economic struggles, health deterioration, and strained relationships while some reported positive social shifts post-treatment in the physical and mental health, social relationships, economic stability, and overall quality of life; 2.Challenges in maintaining sobriety included stress, societal stigma and medication side-effects; 3.Recovery support systems including family involvement and spirituality; 4.Coping mechanisms such as on behavioral changes and spiritual and 5.Recommendations for SUD treatment improvement emphasizing counseling, consistent medication access, and community education to reduce stigma.

Conclusion: The study highlighted struggles SUDs patients face and systemic gaps in treatment services. Strengthening psychosocial support, integrating spiritual counseling, and improving infrastructure and medication access are vital for better outcomes. Community stigma reduction approaches are essential for an enabling treatment environment.

ABSTRACT. This study examined the contribution of aging-related factors (i.e., integrity and despair) reported six months before the October 7 terror attack on Israel (W1) as predictors of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and clinical level of depression a month after the onset of the Israel-Hamas War (W2) among older adult Israeli Yom Kippur War veterans. A web-based survey company collected a random sample of 297 Yom-Kippur War veterans, aged 68-88, who participated in both waves. Respondents completed measures of event centrality, ego integrity, and despair in W1. Probable PTSD symptoms due to the Yom Kippur War and depression symptoms were collected in both waves. Probable PTSD symptoms due to the Israel-Hamas War were assessed in W2. Three univariate logistic regressions showed that beyond exposure to wars, W1 event centrality, and W1 probable PTSD or clinical level of depression, a higher level of W1 despair significantly increased the risk of W2 probable PTSD due to the Yom Kippur War and the Israel-Hamas War, and W2 clinical level of depression. Our finding suggests that when examining the outcomes of traumatic events among older adult veterans, it is crucial to account for late-life developmental processes.

ABSTRACT. Family involvement, defined as emotions, thoughts, and behaviors indicating an over-protection of family members and preoccupation with family legacy, is recognized as a unique yet underexplored mechanism in the intergenerational effects of trauma. The current study examined the role of family involvement in predicting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Holocaust descendants following the October 7 attack and during the Israel-Hamas War. Using a longitudinal prospective design, Israeli Jew descendants from two generations (second and third generation to those who were living during WWII) completed questionnaires via a web-based survey company a year before the October 7 attack (W1, 2022, N=1,071) and two and nine months after the attack, during the war (W3, December 2023, N=582, and W4, July 2024, N=405). Results showed significantly higher levels of family involvement (i.e., descendants' efforts to compensate for ancestors' suffering, shield ancestors from suffering, avoid sharing worries with ancestors, and care for family continuation) in Holocaust descendants relative to comparisons. Moderated mediation analyses showed that having Holocaust survivor ancestors was related to higher W3 and W4 PTSD symptoms via specific components of family involvement: Compensating and shielding mediated the effect on W3 PTSD symptoms while compensating mediated the effect on W4 PTSD symptoms (mostly in the second generation). Generation did not moderate the mediation effects. The findings have crucial implications by highlighting family involvement as a unique interpersonal mechanism behind the intergenerational effects of Holocaust trauma, which clinicians should integrate in multi-generational interventions with Holocaust families, particularly when descendants face adversity.

ABSTRACT. Since the attack on Israel by Hamas on the 7th of October 2023, and the ensuing war between Israel and Hamas, there has been an alarming rise in expressions of antisemitism around the world. Such experiences can be a significant source of stress for Jewish older adults living in the Diaspora, and could challenge their ability to maintain successful aging. The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of Canadian Jewish older adults following the October 7th attack, and to understand if and how the rise in antisemitism is affecting their quality of life. Relying on a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 older adults (ages 65-92; 60% women), and 11 service providers (ages 33-67; 72% women) who work directly with Jewish older adults living in the greater Vancouver area. Interviews were transcribed, and emergent themes were analyzed. All participants were deeply affected by the October 7th attack and the ensuing Israel war. The public discourse surrounding the attack and the war, which they experienced as anti-Israeli and at times antisemitic, has permeated many aspects of their lives, with implications for their sense of safety and belonging. While challenging seniors’ ability to maintain a sense of successful aging, participants also shared important ways in which they were able to compensate for the stress they were experiencing since the war, mostly through personal and social sources of resilience. Some also described a heightened sense of identity with Israel and the local Jewish community. This study is the first to our knowledge to explore the experiences of Jewish older adults living in the Diaspora since the outbreak of the current Hamas-Israel war. It indicates predictors of vulnerability and resilience among this group, and suggests future avenues for improving their well-being in the current political and social climate.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the long-term effects of warfare trauma on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in older adult veterans, with a focus on trauma reminders, life-threatening exposure, and meaning in life as a moderating factor. The sample included 399 male veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War in Israel, assessed at three-time points: about six months before the 50th anniversary of the war, two weeks before the anniversary, and two months following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War. The study examined how both a symbolic trauma reminder (the war anniversary) and a real-life reminder (the renewed armed conflict following the October 7 attack) are associated with PTSD symptoms over time. Participants were divided into three groups based on their Yom Kippur War experiences: combatants, non-combatants exposed to life-threatening conditions, and non-combatants with no exposure to life-threatening conditions. Meaning in life, a key resilience factor, was measured to assess its role in mitigating PTSD symptoms. Results show that a real-life trauma reminder (the October 7 attack) elicited stronger PTSD symptoms than symbolic reminders, particularly among veterans exposed to life-threatening conditions. Moreover, meaning in life significantly moderated PTSD symptoms, with higher levels of meaning associated with lower PTSD symptoms, especially during a real-life trauma reminder among combatants. These findings underscore the enduring impact of combat trauma and the protective role of meaning in life in older adult veterans' mental health, particularly when facing new trauma reminders. The study highlights the need for therapeutic interventions that enhance meaning in life as a buffer against trauma-related symptoms in aging veterans.

ABSTRACT. This symposium aims to examine how psychological and age-related mechanisms may help individuals exposed to war-related traumatic events and life stressors to mitigate their devastating outcomes and improve their well-being. The symposium will start with a lecture (abstract 204) that examines the role of ego integrity and age despair on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among older veterans fifty years after war exposure. The second lecture (abstract 208) will present the role of family involvement in the relationship between having a familial Holocaust background with the level of PTSD symptoms before and after the Israel-Hamas war. The third lecture (abstract 241) presents reflections of a qualitative study on Jewish-Canadian older adults following the October 7th terror attack and the Israel-Hamas war. Findings show vulnerabilities and resilience factors presented by this group. The fourth lecture (abstract 220) showed a lower association among combatants in the 1973 Yom Kippur War with a high level of meaning in life (compared to those with low level of meaning in life) and their level of PTSD. Finally, the last lecture (abstract 210), focusing on a different form of life stressors among older employees, showed that higher psychological well-being and lower subjective age were related to lower levels of perceived age discrimination at work. Taking together, this session gives a glimpse of the stressful experiences that Jews, Israelis, and older adults have dealt with in the last year and the role of psychological factors and well-being in mitigating the outcomes of these stressors.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the impact of industrial relations on working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) from the regular survey and special COVID surveys for 2020 and 2021. Results show that employees covered by collective bargaining agreements are less likely to work from home and do so less often. This negative association is stronger among white-collar and non-production sector workers. Conversely, plant-level co-determination positively influences the likelihood and frequency of remote work, particularly among women, employees with children, white-collar workers, and those in non-production sectors in 2021. These variations in work-from-home arrangements are crucial for understanding the impact of industrial relations on work-life balance, particularly for workers with caregiving responsibilities. The findings highlight which labour practices may mitigate growing polarization in remote work opportunities across the labour market.

ABSTRACT. This study investigates the occupational differences between hybrid and full-time office workers, focusing on productivity, job satisfaction, and burnout. It also explores whether hybrid work, which involves less relational contact and structure than traditional office work, diminishes the established links between personality traits (extraversion and conscientiousness) and these outcomes. The study hypothesized that hybrid workers would report higher productivity and job satisfaction along with lower burnout than full-time office workers. Additionally, it examined whether the associations between extraversion and conscientiousness and these outcomes vary across work models. The sample consisted of 253 employees working at least 50% of a full-time schedule. After a matching process based on demographic and occupational characteristics, the final sample included 194 participants equally divided between hybrid and full-time office workers. Data were collected using online questionnaires. Results indicated that hybrid workers reported significantly higher productivity, job satisfaction, and lower exhaustion than their full-time office counterparts. Consistent with previous research on full-time office workers, conscientiousness was positively associated with productivity and job satisfaction and negatively associated with burnout across both work models. Similarly, extraversion was positively linked to job satisfaction and negatively to burnout in both models. No significant differences were found in these relationships between hybrid and traditional work models. In summary, while pandemic-imposed remote work disrupted some benefits linked to extraversion and conscientiousness, hybrid work retains these advantages similar to traditional office environments. These findings highlight the broader benefits of hybrid work over full-time office work. Combined with prior findings, they highlight the benefits of hybrid work over fully remote work, particularly for highly extroverted or conscientious employees.

ABSTRACT. Using a sample of 20,211 workers from the U.S. Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA) collected between April 2023 and November 2024, this study examines whether discrepancies in work-from-home (WFH) preferences between employers and employees affect work efficiency. The findings suggest that employees who wish to work from home more frequently than their employers allow report the lowest work efficiency. This group is compared to employees whose WFH preferences align with their employers and those who prefer to work from home less often than permitted. Additionally, the study investigates whether this relationship is mediated by decreased motivation and increased disengagement. Mediation analyses reveal that a mismatch in WFH preferences is associated with lower work efficiency, primarily through reduced motivation and heightened disengagement. Finally, the study explores whether these mediation effects are moderated by gender and parenthood status. Moderated mediation analyses indicate that the mediating effect of decreased motivation does not vary by gender or parenthood. However, the mediating effect of increased disengagement is significantly stronger for employed mothers. These findings highlight the importance of aligning WFH policies with employee preferences to maintain work efficiency and engagement.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines gender differences on satisfaction with the working-from-home (WFH) experience during the COVID-19 crisis across EU27 countries, with a particular focus on the role of work-family conflict. The study investigates how a set of variables included in three different dimensions of telework experience (i.e., organizational factors, job characteristics and individual/family dynamics) influence WFH satisfaction. Special attention is given to the gendered implications of WFH, analyzing whether men and women experience family conflict and its impact on telework satisfaction differently. Data from the “Living, working and COVID-19” survey (Eurofound, 2020) were used, collected between June and July 2020 in the EU27 countries (N=4926) as a natural experiment. The results show that while organizational and technical support positively influence telework satisfaction, family conflict—exacerbated by caregiving responsibilities—negatively impacts women more significantly than men. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing family-related challenges to enhance satisfaction with telework

ABSTRACT. Social and financial strains are thought to hinder optimal functioning and well-being, with middle-aged adults often considered particularly vulnerable. From the perspective of self-determination theory, such strains may frustrate basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), potentially explaining their negative impact on well-being. This study explores whether social role and financial distress differ in prevalence across young (18–39 years, n=276), middle-aged (40–64 years, n=261), and older adults (65+ years, n=76), and how these strains relate to psychological need frustration. Using ANOVA and regression analyses, adjusted for gender, education, income, relationship status, and parenthood, we observed preliminary trends suggesting age-related patterns.

Older adults reported fewer social roles (M=5.05, SD=2.03) compared to young (M=6.03, SD=1.46) and middle-aged adults (M=6.15, SD=1.67; F(2,608)=13.85, p<.001). However, they appeared more satisfied with these roles (F(2,608)=11.20, p<.001). Subjective financial distress was highest among young adults and lowest in older adults (F(2,610)=7.78, p<.001). Autonomy frustration was significantly lower in older adults compared to younger groups (F(2,612)=9.47, p<.001), while competence frustration was highest among young adults (F(2,612)=6.18, p=.002). Relatedness frustration did not differ significantly across age groups.

Both social role and financial strains showed moderate to strong associations with autonomy, competence, and relatedness frustration across all age groups. A potential interaction suggests that financial strain may be more strongly related to autonomy frustration in young compared to middle-aged adults (p = .043).

These preliminary findings suggest that age-graded psychological perspectives can enrich our understanding of the interplay between social and financial strains and well-being. Further research should explore universal and age-specific mechanisms to inform interventions promoting sustainable well-being across the lifespan.

ABSTRACT. This study investigates the changes in subjective well-being in South Korea and examines the age, period, and cohort effects on the changes. The sample includes 168,868 cases from the Korea Welfare Panel Study data from 2006 to 2022. The analysis was based on the age-period-cohort(APC) model, and a generalized additive regression was used to analyze the variations in age, period and cohort effects in subjective well-being by gender and income level. Subjective well-being was measured by life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. The key findings of this study include: Depressive symptoms have been gradually declining over recent years, but it continues to be more prevalent among women than men. The age and cohort effects of depressive symptoms vary according to gender and income level. Females were more likely to report depressive symptoms as they age, while males generally begin to show signs of depressive symptoms from middle age, with high levels of depressive symptoms observed in the birth cohort of the 1950s-70s. Adults in low-income groups begin to show a noticeable increase in depressive symptoms from middle age. The age, period, and cohort effects were confirmed in life satisfaction too. In addition, the age, period, and cohort effects were found to vary depending on socioeconomic conditions including marital status, education level, and employment status. The findings of this study demonstrate disparities by age, cohort, and period in the trend of subjective well-being and also underscore a close association between objective conditions of the quality of life and subjective well-being.

ABSTRACT. According to the second report of the Longitudinal Study of Aging and Health in the Philippines (LSAHP) project, Aging and Health in the Philippines Wave 2 (LSAHP Wave 2), the Philippines is projected to shift to an aging society by 2030, spurred by a recent sharp decline in fertility rates and increased life expectancy. This impending transition calls for an in-depth understanding of the determinants of the well-being of older people to promote the formulation of policies and programs aimed at improving the quality of life of the elderly population.

Using data from eight rounds of Social Weather Stations (SWS) national surveys from 2017 to 2024, this paper examines the trends and correlates of old-age well-being measured by the Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA), happiness, and life satisfaction. Consistent with the prevailing literature across multiple disciplines, initial findings show that ACSA, happiness, and life satisfaction are positively related to each other, and that age tends to negatively associate with these well-being indicators. On the other hand, educational attainment tends to have a positive association with the three well-being indicators, while the other basic demographics such as sex and study area do not have a consistent association with them. Further analyses will explore the signs and magnitude of association of various factors, including social support, health status, financial security, and social engagement, with well-being in old age across time.

ABSTRACT. Background: Family resilience plays a critical role in enabling families to withstand and recover from adversity while maintaining adaptive functioning. Existing research on family resilience predominantly emphasizes the influence of family processes on child well-being. However, limited attention has been given to the potential positive impact that adolescents, as integral family members, may have on family resilience. This study aimed to examine the relationship between adolescents’ positive youth development (PYD) attributes and family resilience, with a specific focus on the potential contribution of PYD to the development of family resilience over time.

Methods: A total of 213 secondary school students in Hong Kong participated in a longitudinal survey assessing PYD attributes and family resilience characteristics. Data were collected twice over a one-year interval: Wave 1 when students were in Secondary One (Grade 7) and Wave 2 when they were in Secondary Two (Grade 8). Longitudinal relationships between adolescents’ PYD and family resilience were analyzed using cross-lagged panel modeling to account for autoregressive effects.

Results: The findings revealed that adolescents’ PYD attributes at Wave 1 significantly predicted higher levels of parental family resilience at Wave 2 (β = .17, p < .05), even after controlling for the autoregressive effects of family resilience at Wave 1 (β = .50, p < .001). However, parental family resilience at Wave 1 did not significantly predict changes in adolescents’ PYD attributes at Wave 2 (β = .10, p > .05).

Conclusion: The results highlight the active role of adolescents in contributing to family resilience, which suggests the need to reconceptualize family resilience as a dynamic, bidirectional process. The findings underscore the importance of fostering PYD attributes in adolescents as a strategy to enhance family resilience and overall family well-being.

ABSTRACT. The October 7 attack on Israel triggered an ongoing military conflict with significant physical and psychological impacts on Israeli society. Beyond these direct effects, a complex array of challenges emerged, affecting both Israeli society and Jewish communities worldwide. This presentation maps key fronts of hostility along an axis from immediate and personal threats to life to long-term global pressures, arguing that they hold a cumulative impact on well-being.

The first is the geopolitical and military front creating direct threats to life. The health front, with individual traumas in a closely-knit society translated into collective grief. Close social ties and shared identity, intensified the psychological toll, contributing to an increase in insomnia, anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular issues. Beyond these immediate ones, additional fronts emerged, generating sustained pressures: the media front, where bias in major media outlets such as the BBC and The New York Times influenced global discourse; the social media sphere, amplifying negative narratives and shaping public perception; the academic front, where Jewish faculty and students faced growing hostility, exclusion, and boycotts; the surge in global antisemitism, ranging from street-level violence to institutional and political bias; and the economic front, where BDS campaigns, corporate distancing, and divestment efforts introduced long-term pressures on Israel’s economic stability and its ties with the world. Mapping these interconnected fronts reveals how the ongoing war generated impacts that span individual to collective, immediate to sustained, and local to global. While the immediate crises demanded urgent attention, the impact of these expanding hostility circles, especially increased feelings of global isolation, is not addressed.

This analysis suggests that the compounding nature of circles of hostility understanding requires recognizing implications on well being extending for years to come.

ABSTRACT. The association of war related trauma, worldviews, subjective perception of trauma, and PTSD symptoms with life satisfaction following the 2022 Russian invasion into Ukraine Yafit Levin, Shir Mor-Ben-Ishai, Yaira Hamama-Raz, Elazar Leshem, Menachem Ben-Ezra Ariel University, Israel

Theme: Ill-Being

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine the association between war-related trauma, worldviews, subjective traumatic outlook (STO), PTSD symptoms, and life satisfaction following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. We focus on the subjective aspects of worldviews and trauma perception, hypothesizing that subjective factors will be more strongly associated with lower life satisfaction than objective trauma symptoms. The findings may enhance our understanding of the subjective perceptions during wartime.

Method: A national sample of 1,895 Ukrainians, surveyed during the Russian invasion, completed measures assessing war-related trauma, worldviews, STO, PTSD symptoms, and life satisfaction. Statistical analyses included a multicollinearity test followed by a two-step regression analysis that incorporated demographics, war-related trauma, worldviews, STO, PTSD symptoms, and life satisfaction as the outcome variable while controlling for demographic factors, war related trauma, and PTSD symptoms.

Results: The study found that subjective aspects of worldviews and STO were significantly associated with life satisfaction, even after controlling for other variables. Additionally, PTSD symptoms, which were significant in the first step, lost their predictive value in the second step. This suggests that subjective perceptions of ill-being (worldviews and STO) share a common denominator with subjective perceptions of well-being.

Conclusion: Our research contributes to the understanding of how subjective perceptions of worldviews and STO relate to life satisfaction during wartime, emphasizing the influence of these factors on psychological outcomes. This exploration offers an alternative approach to understanding internal perspectives of well-being during conflict.

ABSTRACT. The multigenerational approach extends our understanding beyond the here and now to ways in which family relationship patterns may pass down from generation to generation and influence the behavior of family members in the present. The emphasis is on how families deal with acute or chronic anxiety over generations – either that which stems from over-proximity or that which stems from excessive distance – through the creation of disconnects, emotional projections, and emotional triangles. Awareness of these intergenerational transmissions can help patients change their behavior, free themselves from habits and relationship patterns that imprison them and increase their personal and interpersonal differentiation.

Following the events of October 7th in Israel, many families experienced difficult and unusual events such as: being in the shelter for days waiting to be rescued, reading frightening messages screaming for help, children and adults defecating and vomiting in the shelter, watching the murder through the window or hearing "help" sounds near you, having family members murdered or kidnapped, or friends that were kidnapped or murdered.

In this presentation we will discuss how concepts of the multigenerational approach are related to the functioning of individuals and families who experience traumatic events during war. The concepts to be discussed are: Differentiation of the self, emotional triangles, the emotional system of the nuclear family, projection processes in the family, processes of intergenerational transfer, emotional disconnection, the order of siblings in the family, and emotional processes in society. The examples in this presentation are from the Israeli context, while being aware of the great suffering of Palestinian families as well.

ABSTRACT. In this longitudinal study, we examine the impact of status-quo bias (SQB) on emotional measurements during the War of Iron Swords between Israel and Hamas. With a sample of 1,053 Israeli participants surveyed before and during the war, we used the war's onset as a natural experiment to explore the direct effects of SQB on various measures of subjective well-being and anxiety. The findings indicated that, despite stable levels of global life evaluation and meaning in life, the war triggered significant shifts in the affective component of subjective well-being, namely, positive and negative emotions. The results showed that prewar SQB levels predicted (along with global life evaluation and meaning) both negative and positive emotions. However, longitudinal impact was only established for negative emotions during the war, after controlling for prewar negative emotions and other demographic and war-related variables. Similar results were obtained for anxiety. This indicates that prewar SQB levels impact negative emotions during national trauma. The results have substantial economic implications, suggesting that interventions aimed at reducing SQB (e.g., education that empowers individuals to transcend their familiar boundaries and adapt to adverse changes) may enhance emotional resilience in crisis situations, offering valuable insights for policymakers to improve societal well-being in times of upheaval.

ABSTRACT. Despite higher wages and better amenities in urban areas, residents there often report lower life satisfaction compared to those in rural regions. The underlying mechanisms driving this phenomenon remain only partially understood. For this reason, this study aims at shedding light on the urban-rural happiness gradient among families. As previous research has predominantly focused on the effects of urban (dis-)amenities and selective migration on subjective well-being, this paper aims at extending these analyses by investigating whether this negative gradient varies across different household compositions. Utilising data from the German panel survey FReDA, we analyse migration flows of families and young individuals, assessing their subjective well-being before and after relocation. Furthermore, we incorporate commuting time into our analysis and demonstrate how the ability to work from home moderates these effects. Our findings suggest that differences in migration patterns across family types can add to the discussion on explaining the urban-rural happiness gradient.

ABSTRACT. Over the past few decades, rural areas have been undergoing profound sociodemographic and socioeconomic transformations. However, how has that affected the experienced quality of life in these areas? Using a comprehensive and newly created European database based on various surveys (Eurobarometer, European Social Survey, European Values Survey, Gallup World Poll), this paper examines differences in subjective well-being between different types of rural and urban areas in Europe and what drives these differences. Using these insights, we offer recommendations for policies that could positively impact the quality of life in rural areas.

ABSTRACT. Promoting healthy living environments necessarily passes through awareness that the determinants of health lie mainly outside the control of the public health sectors. Healthy living is the result of several factors that may produce health inequalities across socio-economic groups. As shown by WHO and other organizations, inequalities should be reduced for equity reasons and for sustainable development. Inclusion, income distribution, and access to services are critical for post-pandemic recovery and fundamental goals of the NextGenerationEU (NGEU) Plan. The study will allow describing the health status and its determinants in different environmental contexts and for different demographic and socio-economic profiles of individuals. We will exploit an original and comprehensive database collected at the suburban level for the city of Genoa in Italy derived from administrative archives and ad hoc surveys. The study on health, well-being, and urban environments will complete the "hard" data with subjective ones. Specifically, the research is structured on the following four pillars: · analyze the environment-health-healthcare services trade-off and its evolution across demographic and socio-economic groups; · detect the role that the family and the non-profit sector play in reducing some of the barriers to accessing healthcare; · identify the long-term strategies that local governments and individuals may put forth to improve health; · provide graphic representations and interactive tools that summarise the relationship environment-health-healthcare. Our results will help local policymakers identify strengths and opportunities and benchmark neighborhoods within a city against other neighborhoods within the same town, with upper territorial levels, and with other cities or neighborhoods within other cities.

ABSTRACT. This proposal addresses a crucial problem in the Spanish context: depopulation and the decline in the quality of life in rural areas. Through a multidimensional approach, this work seeks to generate solid empirical knowledge that facilitates the design of more effective public policies and promotes sustainable development in these territories. It is a topic of great social relevance since rural depopulation is a complex problem that affects territorial cohesion, environmental sustainability and the well-being of rural populations. The aim is mapping the availability and accessibility of indicators at the municipal level, to measure the quality of life in rural areas by estimating synthetic indicators related to the theme of ‘left behind places’. To this end, a system of specific indicators will be designed to measure the quality of life at the municipal level in rural areas, considering their characteristics and data availability. Synthetic indicators will be obtained, and disaggregated by spatial level (municipal, provincial and regional) and in population subgroups, with attention to gender. Specifically, among other sources, the Integrated Municipal Data System (SIDAMUN) project will be used to develop the system of indicators. This consists of a data visualisation tool that is made up of a collection of indicators and data on different topics at the municipal level to facilitate access to the most detailed information possible on the status of certain aspects of the territory (Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Spain). From a methodological point of view, we will use methodologies such as distance measures, specifically, the one known as DP2. This is often considered an innovative and effective methodology for designing indicators because it verifies a desirable set of properties. Other possible methodologies include Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), multivariate statistical analysis techniques, fuzzy metrics, and machine learning.

ABSTRACT. The authors show how the size and configuration of households are associated with people’s happiness. A household size of about four members is predictive of higher happiness levels. People who live on their own often experience lower levels of happiness, primarily due to lower levels of relational satisfaction. People in very large households can also experience less happiness, probably linked to diminished economic satisfaction. Governments should consider how economic policies may have secondary effects on relationships, hence affecting the wellbeing in families. National statistical offices should prioritise the development of metrics that assess the quantity and quality of interpersonal relationships and the bonds that underpin them.

ABSTRACT. The authors document a parallel fall in life satisfaction and social trust and its relationship with the rise in anti-system votes since the early 2000s. They propose a model of the relationships between three blocs of attitudes: (i) life satisfaction and social trust, (ii) cultural, political, and economic values, and (iii) voting behaviour. They show that low life satisfaction comes with anti-system attitudes while people’s level of social trust determines their orientation towards anti-system parties at the left or the right. In Europe, citizens with low life satisfaction and low social trust, the ‘anomics’, tend to vote for far-right parties. In the context of the US two-party system, they tend to abstain and withdraw from public life.

ABSTRACT. The authors show how the cost-effectiveness of charities can be measured and compared with a standardised metric of value: wellbeing-years (WELLBYs). In the first global review of published evidence, they find that the cost-effectiveness of charities varies dramatically. The best charities in their sample are hundreds of times better at increasing happiness per dollar than others. There are no published evaluations of large, well-known charities or typical acts of charitable giving, such as helping the homeless, using a wellbeing approach. The authors present some rough evaluations of these cases but find them to be less cost-effective than nearly all the charities in their sample.

ABSTRACT. Background: We examine whether prosocial behaviors during adolescence (ages 12-17) are associated with later economically productive activity—college enrollment, employment, and income—in young adulthood (ages 18-25). We contribute to previous research finding that volunteering is associated with a variety of economic outcomes in youth (e.g. (Ballard et al., 2019), yet this is the first known longitudinal study addressing long-term economic implications of charitable giving.

Method: We analyzed American nationally-representative, longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Our sample included young adults born between 1985-1997 from original PSID families who were included in the Child Development Supplement (CDS) Wave II interview. We linked individuals’ data across multiple modules (CDS-II, CDS-III, Transition to Adulthood Supplement 2005-2015). We employed OLS and Probit regressions to examine how formal prosocial behavior (volunteering; charitable giving) in adolescence predicted later employment, college enrollment, financial independence from parents, and income in young adulthood. To account for potential alternative explanations, we included covariates ranging from individual-level (e.g. gender, race/ethnicity) to family-level (e.g. parental marital status, parental education, and income, family size, parenting prosocial behavior) to community-level (e.g. school rating, neighborhood safety).

Results: Volunteering and charitable giving in adolescence were associated with economic productivity in young adulthood, in terms of higher income (for volunteers), a higher percent of time employed (for donors), and a higher likelihood of college enrollment (for both). These findings are robust to covariates that predict both prosocial behavior and/or economic outcomes. Moreover, these results were generally found among men and women, people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and people with different childhood family income levels.

Conclusion: This study addresses important research gaps, with implications for potentially reducing unequal productive activity in young adulthood, highlighting prosocial behavior as a potential lever of positive youth development (Meemaduma & Booso, 2022).

ABSTRACT. Every child counts; no child should be left behind. This principle is central to UNICEF's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is reinforced by South Africa’s Constitution, which guarantees the protection and well-being of children. Despite this, significant challenges persist. In 2023, only 21% of children under five receive an acceptable diet, with 5% experiencing wasting and 29% stunting. Gender, race, disability, violence, inconsistent family care, orphanhood, and HIV further exacerbate child vulnerabilities.

This study examines the impact of targeted interventions on the well-being of children aged 6 to 8 in two Gauteng communities. Data were collected from five no-fee schools, and interventions such as support from social workers and psychologists were tailored to the children's risk profiles.

A composite Child Well-Being Index (CWI) was constructed using 23 variables to measure child well-being, including indicators like abuse, mental health issues, diabetes, hearing problems, and play opportunities.

The impact of interventions—measured as a dichotomous variable (receiving or not receiving treatment)—was evaluated using Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (Pooled OLS) regression, with Propensity Score Matching (PSM) ensuring robust results. Additional tests were conducted using single interventions and well-being proxies.

Findings show that targeted interventions significantly improve child well-being. Specific programs, such as social worker support and the Sihlengimizi family group program, demonstrated notable impacts.

This research highlights the importance of tailored interventions in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable children, reinforcing the need for focused, data-driven approaches to improve their well-being.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines how children’s perceptions of poverty correspond to their household’s risk of experiencing poverty, using linked survey and administrative data from Luxembourg and ordered logit with fixed effects. Our results show that, conditional on household poverty risk, children with a migrant background are more worried about economic hardship, while there are no differences by age and gender of the child. In terms of underlying mechanisms, intergenerational transmission emerges as a notable driver of children's concerns, highlighting the impact of family influence. Conversely, the role of deprivation is not significant, while the influence of peers is, suggesting the need for further investigation. These results underscore the limitations of conventional poverty measures and call for a more holistic approach to assessing and addressing child poverty.

ABSTRACT. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused physical and psychological hazards with deep and enduring effects on human lives and the economy. In particular, children and their families living in poverty have been the hardest hit. Prolonged school closures, online home learning, congested living environments and parents’ reduced salary and unemployment during the pandemic have created great hurdles in the psychosocial development and well-being of children living in poverty. Families from affluent families have more resources to weather the negative effects of the pandemic than families from poor families who are more vulnerable to the risks and challenges during the post-pandemic period. The family investment model further suggests that poor families suffering from limited family resources may hinder children’s psychosocial development.

Following Lareau’s (2003) work on the concerted cultivation in the differentiated childhood experiences between middle- and working-class families, a new form of concerted cultivation with five components has been identified in Chinese contexts (i.e., provision of enrichment activities, effortful involvement in children’s academic performance, developing achievement mindsets and opportunities, developing and expanding children’s social circles and supporting children in using information technology in learning). The study examined the mediating roles of concerted cultivation on the relationship between poverty and children’s wellbeing in terms of positive and negative emotions, self-esteem and sense of hope among 725 Chinese families in Hong Kong. Poverty was measured by household possessions adopted by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The findings showed that while poverty was directly linked to negative emotions of Chinese children, it was indirectly associated with poorer positive emotions, lower self-esteem and lower sense of hope via limited parental concerted cultivation. The study confirms that a lack of concerted cultivation by parents hamper children’s positive well-being in the context of poverty.

ABSTRACT. Background: globally, the Covid-19 pandemic and associated social distancing measures increased children’s vulnerability. Although vulnerability carries a reducing effect of subjective well-being (SWB), the presence of risks of harm does not always lead to a decline in well-being. Aim: to examine how the Covid-19 pandemic increased children’s vulnerability and affected their SWB in 10 European countries, including the role of family and school life in this. Data and methods: we use data from 25,865 children aged 9–13 years from the International Children’s Worlds Covid-19 Supplement Survey (ISCWeB) collected in 2021 in 10 European countries (Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Albania, Romania, Wales, and Russia). Mostly, descriptive statistics are used. Results: although we found that on average children’s overall SWB declined in Europe during the pandemic, 4 different child profiles – “no changers”, “gainers”, “slight decliners” and “great decliners” - can be differentiated. The least vulnerable were “no changers” (30% in total sample, but 44% in Albania) whose well-being in home and at school remained stable and who were able to maintain the same (high) level of SWB compared to the pre-pandemic period. “Gainers” (13% in total sample, but 22% in Spain) were the group whose retrospective subjective well-being before the pandemic was average or low but learning at their own pace in the safe home environment boosted their sense of well-being. “Slight decliners” (31% in total sample, but 43% in Italy) had a very high level of SWB before, but slightly above average during the pandemic. The most vulnerable were “great decliners” (27% in total sample, but 49% in Germany) who experienced an accumulation of risks both at home and at school, struggling to cope in unstable circumstances. Conclusion: in situations of crisis, children’s well-being needs to come under special attention because of the elevated risk of vulnerability.

ABSTRACT. This presentation shows the first results of a research in which social inequalities in the quality of life of urban communities are analysed. Tradition shows that studies on urban inequality have given special importance to the study of residential segregation patterns. In our work, we will address inequality in urban communities by focusing attention on the different dimensions that make up the daily life of these communities. To this end, the different types of social inequalities that exist in the communities of the southern area of the Buenos Aires Conurban of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will be identified based on the description of the infrastructure, equipment and services that these communities have, the characteristics of public transportation, the public spaces, the social relationships between neighbours and the existence of social support between themselves, the opportunities that neighbours have in terms of job, health and education, the existence of inequalities and the possible ways to overcome them. This is a descriptive study by qualitative method, using the semi-structured interview as a data collection technique. The population interviewed were 50 students of various careers from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the National University of Lomas de Zamora. It is expected to identify the different inequalities that are observed in the communities, as well as understand how these inequalities modify the quality of life of the neighbours and which can be the way to resolve this situation.

ABSTRACT. An OECD recognised Happiness Index survey was deployed to measure and assess individual and community wellbeing in the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality (KPRM) between 29/03/2022 and 11/05/2022. The deployment is part of a process to engage local households in tourism planning and assess opportunities for using tourism as a development tool to strengthen individual and community wellbeing.

The survey was deployed with KPRM support, including a team of community activists acting as enumerators. Questions were added to assess attitudes towards tourism, together with five questions to localise the survey focusing upon the quality of local education, healthcare, national park management, threats to community wellbeing and climate change. 758 responses were collected (approximately 10% of the resident population).

Overall average domain scores for KPRM respondents were 7.9% higher than all others who took the Happiness Index over the same period. Respondents scored higher than all other survey-takers in every domain except Economy. Scores were low in the domains of Community, Time Balance and Government, and high in Psychological Wellbeing, Tourism, and Environment.

In brief, the region’s tourism system has evolved with exceptional levels of community engagement in almost all aspects of development and change, which has been instrumental in delivering strong, high levels of community wellbeing. The study concluded the Happiness Index should be deployed regularly to engage residents in conversations and initiatives to strengthen the tourism and community wellbeing relationship, and institutionalise evidence-based policymaking.

The second survey iteration will be in early 2025, as part of a process to prepare a revised municipal tourism plan. Results from both iterations will be used to engage all stakeholders, especially the host community, in conversations to identify actions for tourism to strengthen community wellbeing. Results from both iterations, the planning process and lessons learned will be presented.

ABSTRACT. Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) regularly features in global media. Together with the resident indigenous Sherpas and their cultural assets, the mountain forms the main attraction of the Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), a UNESCO World Heritage site and Nepal’s most important visitor attraction. Decades of visitor growth have caused wide-ranging change to the site’s natural, cultural and built environment. It has also induced extraordinary societal change, transforming individual and community wellbeing to the point where it is potentially one of the World’s best examples of community wellbeing and development through tourism. While the success of the region’s tourism system owes much to visitor philanthropy, the work of many NGOs and good governance, Sherpa indigenous culture and spiritual values have underpinned and enabled the success of this development system. The presentation delivers an overview of these cultural (Green Tara) values together with household priorities, income and wellbeing strategies. It includes comparative data sets collated over 30yrs, and embraces results from the deployment of an OECD recognised Happiness Index survey used to measure and assess individual and community wellbeing in the region between 29/03/2022 and 11/05/2022. Building on this discussion, and highlighting examples of tourism induced change, the presentation (a) reviews current development pressures threatening municipal, resident and community wellbeing, and (b) discusses local government’ priorities to promote sustainable tourism, strengthen resident and community wellbeing and the SNP’s conservation objectives. The presentation concludes with an overview of the municipal government’s emerging strategy to monitor and report on policies and actions to strengthen household and community wellbeing through tourism. As Indigenous People make up just 6% of the global population yet are stewards of 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity (critical to climate change mitigation), recommendations are shared to empower and celebrate other models of wellbeing through Indigenous Tourism.

ABSTRACT. A widespread perception among happiness researchers is that the relationship between happiness and age is “u-shaped”, with a mid-life low followed by an increase in happiness as people pass through their fifties and beyond. Recent studies have demonstrated in contrast that, among wealthy countries, this pattern is evident only in a minority; a range of patterns is found, including a strong tendency for happiness to decline across the life-course in many countries. That finding is important as a corrective to common perceptions: it tells us that the u-shape idea offers unwarranted optimism about the likelihood that people will generally experience happiness in old age.

The paper I propose for ISQOLS 2025 explores an additional reason for caution in this area. Most analyses on this topic, consisting of conventional regression models, tell us about the happiness impact of ageing for an average person (i.e., people who experience average levels of happiness). Via a quantile approach, I explore the impact of age for people found at other locations in the happiness distribution. Using panel data from “Understanding Society” in the UK, I show that for people aged 65+ who are relatively unhappy, happiness tends to decline at a faster rate, relative to people who experience average and higher levels of happiness. I present similar findings from several other European countries using data from the European Social Survey.

The age/happiness “u-shape” idea presents an overly rose picture of happiness among older people. The reality evident in this study (as with other strands of recent recent research) is that there is a substantial amount of “unhappy ageing” even in countries with well-developed welfare states.

ABSTRACT. We investigate the effect of poverty, both chronic and persistent, on biological age acceleration in a representative sample of UK adults from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS). Biological age acceleration is measured by the Dunedin Pace-of-Aging, an epigenetic clock capturing how fast an individual is aging compared to their chronological age. The more time an individual has spent in poverty the older they are biologically: one extra year in poverty is associated with 0.3 percentage-point faster biological aging. Conditional on having experienced poverty, a persistent poverty spell of at least two consecutive years is associated with a 2.2 percentage-point higher biological age, as compared to individuals who were never financially vulnerable. We include potential confounding variables to disentangle the effect of income poverty per se from that of other socioeconomic events: the effect of poverty on age acceleration is only marginally explained by these confounders. In a mediation analysis, over half of the estimated correlations are explained by risky health behaviors (and in particular smoking). The remaining unexplained part of the total effect suggests that experiencing poverty might have a direct effect on individuals’ biological aging.

ABSTRACT. Informality has traditionally been regarded as a significant impediment to economic development. However, more recent studies challenge this predominantly negative perspective, suggesting that the informal employment can also offer certain individual-level benefits, such as income generation, greater autonomy, and flexibility. In this regard, Russia stands as a paradigmatic case: despite robust GDP growth in recent decades, the country has experienced persistent and notable growth in informal employment. This trend may hint at potential benefits of informal work. Using data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS-HSE) for 2004–2014, this study seeks to quantify the social cost—or potential benefit—of informal employment in Russia by applying the domains-of-life framework and the subjective well-being methodology. Specifically, we estimate the equivalent income change necessary to alter general life satisfaction to the same extent as a change in job satisfaction between formal and informal workers. Our findings reveal that the social cost of informal employment is 17%, suggesting that informal workers should earn 17% more to reach the same subjective well-being level as the formal workers. These results remain consistent across a range of robustness checks and heterogeneity analyses. Overall, the study highlights the need for policies that address the structural disadvantages of informality, even in a context where it is historically and culturally embedded.

ABSTRACT. Aims: This meta-analysis evaluated the long-term effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in adults with childhood trauma. This study examines psychological, social, and economic outcomes across diverse national contexts and addresses gaps in cross-cultural EMDR research.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for studies published between 2000 and 2024. Eligible studies included individuals who underwent EMDR for childhood trauma, with outcomes assessed at least 5 years after treatment. A total of 35 studies with 13,950 participants from 21 countries met the inclusion criteria. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate effect sizes for key outcomes, including mental health, quality of life, and social integration. Subgroup analyses examined variations by region, trauma type, and intervention characteristics.

Results: EMDR reduced PTSD and depressive symptoms and improved quality of life and social integration in adulthood. The therapy’s effectiveness was more evident in high-income countries and regions with robust mental health infrastructures. The variations in outcome underscore the influence of cultural, systemic, and methodological differences across studies.

Conclusions: EMDR provides sustained mental health benefits and enhances adult well-being. Cross-national variations highlight the need for culturally adapted protocols and systemic support. Future research should focus on standardisation and context-specific factors influencing outcomes.

ABSTRACT. This study explores the relationships between childhood family experiences, personality traits based on the Big Five model, and three types of adult well-being measured by self-report: subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction and happiness; based on subjective criteria) and two forms of eudaimonic well-being based on objective criteria: social well-being (e.g., trust in others and a sense of belonging), and personal well-being (self-actualization through meeting basic needs for autonomy, competence, and supportive relationships). We hypothesize that personality traits in adulthood will mediate the relationships between childhood experiences and these three types of adult well-being, an area not studied previously. Using data from approximately 200,000 respondents in the Global Flourishing Study (representative samples from 22 countries), we conducted multi-level correlation and mediation analyses. Our findings showed that positive childhood experiences were associated with higher levels of all three types of adult well-being. These experiences also predicted higher levels of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability, but not openness. In adulthood, these four personality traits positively predicted each type of well-being, while openness was positively associated only with eudaimonic personal well-being, showing no relation to subjective well-being and a weak negative association with eudaimonic social well-being. Moreover, these four personality traits (excluding openness) partially mediated the relationships between childhood family experiences and the three types of adult well-being. Supplementary analyses revealed that the relationship between growing up in a family with married parents and eudaimonic social well-being was fully mediated by all traits except extraversion. These findings, conducted on a large and diverse sample, underscore the importance of family experiences for fostering well-being in adulthood, directly and indirectly by forming the personality traits that promote well-being. They also call for further research on cultural moderators and the nuanced role of openness in predicting eudaimonic social well-being.

ABSTRACT. Adolescence is a critical developmental period influenced by parenting styles, yet the mediating roles of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and psychological insecurity remain underexplored, particularly in non-Western contexts. This study examines how ACEs and psychological insecurity mediate the relationship between parenting styles and adolescent psychological well-being (PWB) in South African high school students. A cross-sectional survey of 767 adolescents (Mage = 15.83, SD = 1.85) assessed parenting styles, ACEs, psychological insecurity, and PWB. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that authoritative parenting positively predicted PWB, while authoritarian and permissive parenting increased ACEs and psychological insecurity, reducing well-being. Findings highlight the need for parenting interventions and trauma-informed programs to enhance adolescent resilience in resource-limited settings.

ABSTRACT. Childhood experiences play a critical role in shaping well-being in adulthood, yet much of the existing evidence is derived from Western contexts. This study leverages data from the Global Flourishing Study, a longitudinal dataset encompassing 202,898 individuals across 22 culturally and geographically diverse countries, to explore the relationship between subjective financial status of family growing up and adult well-being outcomes. Using multivariate regression and E-values to assess robustness against unmeasured confounding, this research examines how subjective financial status during childhood predicts multidimensional well-being in adulthood, including psychological, social, and physical health outcomes.

We hypothesize that subjective financial status of family growing up will exhibit meaningful associations with adult well-being outcomes, with variations across countries reflecting diverse sociocultural and economic contexts. The analysis includes primary outcomes related to multidimensional well-being, such as happiness, life satisfaction, mental health, and social support. Country-specific results will be presented. Additionally, random-effects meta-analyses will aggregate findings across countries.

Preliminary findings suggest that subjective financial status of family growing up is a significant predictor of adult well-being, with cross-national differences highlighting the influence of societal factors. These results underscore the importance of early-life financial perceptions in shaping long-term well-being and provide actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote flourishing across diverse populations. This study contributes to the growing body of research on childhood predictors of well-being by offering a comprehensive, cross-national perspective on the role of subjective financial status in adulthood outcomes.

ABSTRACT. Evidence suggests that environmental quality plays an important role in life satisfaction by reducing stress, fostering positive emotions, and enabling cognitive restoration. Green, natural spaces may offer enhanced environmental conditions when exposure to stressors such as air and noise pollution is reduced. Such stressors are strongly associated with respiratory and cardiovascular health issues, as well as elevated stress levels. This study investigates the relationship between air pollution and life satisfaction, integrating both subjective perceptions and objective measures of air quality Previous research indicates that subjective perceptions of air quality may play an independent role in shaping well-being. Using cross-sectional data from the German Longitudinal Environmental Study (GLEN), subjective air pollution is assessed through individuals' self-reported burden of air quality, while objective air quality data—including particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) —is obtained from the German Environmental Protection Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA). The analysis compares how subjective and objective air pollution measures influence life satisfaction. By linking GLEN respondents’ data to UBA air pollution data using precise geospatial categorization, this study adopts a more granular approach than previous research relying on county-level averages.

ABSTRACT. The finite pool of worry (FPW) hypothesis suggests that people have limited emotional resources for worry; as worry about one issue increases, worry about other issues may decrease. Empirical support for this hypothesis remains inconclusive. Previous studies have largely examined FPW at the macro level, using survey data and social media content to assess how major events such as COVID-19 have shifted worry and attention away from climate change concerns. However, the results are mixed, with some studies reporting an increase in climate concern and others showing a decrease. In this study, I examine FPW at the micro level using longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel. This approach enables the exploitation of within-person variation to capture the effects of individual-specific events on outcomes. I employ an instrumental variable (IV) approach to identify the causal effect of financial worries on climate-related concerns by leveraging changes in employment status as an instrument for financial worries. Additionally, I use a difference-in-differences framework to directly examine the impact of unemployment on climate change concerns, with the latter method addressing potential exogeneity violations inherent in the IV approach. Understanding how personal circumstances influence climate-related worries is critical, as these concerns underpin support for climate policy, willingness to pay for mitigation, and pro-environmental behavior. This research contributes to the literature by providing novel micro-level evidence of how financial stressors, such as unemployment, can displace climate-related worries. By identifying factors that shape public attitudes toward climate change, the findings can inform strategies to sustain support for policies that combat climate change.

ABSTRACT. Nature connection is an important leverage point for human wellbeing and planetary health. This study seeks to examine the varying relationships between nature connection and wellbeing measures through a nationally-representative survey of 4006 individuals in Australia. We find a strong association between nature connection and two measures of wellbeing: life satisfaction and health-related quality-of-life. The former relationship was similar to that of income, and these relationships were particularly strong for younger people, and those who speak a language other than English at home. By developing a measure examining one’s life satisfaction relative to their health-related quality-of-life, we find that those with higher levels of nature connection tend to have greater life satisfaction than health-related quality-of-life. This presentation will share the findings of this study and highlight the important role policy can play in enhancing nature connection to improve wellbeing. This includes expanding green space development and providing individuals with more opportunities to meaningfully connect with nature. With the world facing global environmental and sustainability challenges, enhancing nature connectedness is one way that can help generate positive change for both people and planet.

ABSTRACT. The trade-off between economic growth and CO2 emissions is a central topic in the context of climate change and sustainable development. Evidence of absolute decoupling of their trends has been widely examined and debated in the literature, particularly in the context of the Paris Agreement targets. While the evidence is inconclusive, proponents of a beyond-GDP approach recommend replacing GDP with a broader measure of well-being as a target for public policy and societal progress. An unsolved question, however, is whether well-being can be more easily decoupled from environmental pressure than GDP. This study examines the absolute and relative decoupling of well-being for a variety of beyond-GDP indicators, including the Human Development Index, the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare, the Social Progress Index and wealth-based measures. The data used pertains to 28 European countries between 1995-2020. The environmental pressures are related to climate change and cover per capita emissions and energy consumption. We estimate an augmented Kaya identity that decomposes per capita emissions into four components: level of well-being, economic intensity of well-being (GDP per unit of well-being), energy intensity of production (energy per unit of GDP), and carbon intensity of energy (emissions per unit of energy). This approach provides insights into the factors underlying a decoupling of well-being and decarbonisation, including the relative role of decoupling between GDP and well-being. The analysis also contributes to the ongoing debate on the potential influence of beyond-GDP indicators on public policies.

ABSTRACT. Subjective well-being and stress are central aspects of human lives. These psychological states have been strongly affected in the case of Ukrainians since the outbreak of a full-scale war in 2022. However, this ongoing military conflict also has a spillover effect on the well-being of Poles due to the increased uncertainty and social challenges related to the rapid inflow of war refugees from Ukraine. This study aims to compare these two societies i.e., Poles and Ukrainians (migrants and war refugees) living in Poland regarding their levels of subjective well-being in the context of stress measured as the perceived losses and gains of the most important resources in life. We use data from a survey study conducted in the first half of 2024. We use Latent Profile Analysis to explore the heterogeneity of resources between the studied populations. Using this method allows us to distinguish various profiles of resources among respondents and compare their levels of various components of subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect). Additionally, we construct a hierarchy of resources in the case of Poles and Ukrainian migrants in Poland, which provides valuable sociological insight into modern Polish and Ukrainian societies.

ABSTRACT. South Korea, which has traditionally had a high level of ethnic homogeneity, is gradually transforming into a more ethnically diverse society. This change signifies the growing importance of foreigners as a policy target, as their proportion of the population increases. Since migration to a foreign country is driven by the pursuit of a better life, it is essential to focus on the life satisfaction experienced by migrants after relocation. Against this backdrop, this study aims to examine the subjective well-being of foreigners in Seoul, the capital of Korea and its most representative city. This study examines the subjective well-being of foreign residents by considering both general factors influencing happiness and specific factors identified in immigration and refugee research. For analysis, the study will utilize data from the "Seoul Survey," conducted in 2023 among foreigners residing in Seoul. General influencing factors include demographic variables such as age, gender, and education level, as well as economic factors like occupation, employment type, and income. Additionally, factors specific to foreigners will be analyzed, including Korean language proficiency, prior knowledge of Seoul before migration, the inclusiveness of Seoul’s citizens, fair treatment, and social interactions. The findings of this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of the subjective well-being of foreign migrants and provide valuable insights for policymakers aiming to enhance the happiness of foreigners.

ABSTRACT. In the last decade, an increasing number of studies have shown that subjective well-being matters significantly in explaining migration behaviors. However, very little is known about the characteristics of individuals for whom it matters. This paper intends to bridge this gap by analyzing how life satisfaction influences migration intentions and real migration flows for specific sub-groups of people. In the first part, we use survey answers from the Gallup World Poll to reveal that life satisfaction reports at the individual level act as a stronger moderator of personal migration intention for middle-aged individuals from OECD countries, with higher education levels. We find a similar picture when looking at the characteristics of countries in which people want to go to: average life satisfaction in the country of destination is a better attractor for middle-aged respondents from high income countries, with higher education levels. We observe for those sub-groups that life satisfaction becomes a better predictor of migration aspiration to the detriment of economic conditions, supporting the idea that as individuals get access to better economic conditions, they will show more sensitivity to better living conditions when choosing whether and where to migrate. In the second part, we look at real bilateral migration flows from the OECD and ABMD databases. By decomposing our sample by country income level, we highlight that average life satisfaction in the country of destination is a relatively more important factor of migration flows when we consider OECD countries as the recipient of migration flows, a result which we also confirm with the GWP data. In a world where countries are competing to attract and retain their most valuable minds, this research could have substantial policy implications by shedding light on the importance of life satisfaction as both a retainer and attractor of highly educated and rich individuals.

ABSTRACT. Since the 1990s, cross-border marriages, predominantly involving women, have become increasingly common in Taiwan. Brides from Southeast Asian countries often face significant challenges in adapting to the language, culture, and economic systems, which frequently restrict their opportunities for social integration. In the digital era, internet accessibility has the potential to help these immigrant brides overcome such barriers, meet their essential needs, and enhance their subjective well-being. This study examines the relationship between internet accessibility and the subjective well-being of Southeast Asian immigrant brides in Taiwan, employing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a conceptual framework.

Maslow’s theory organizes human needs into a five-tier hierarchy: physiological needs, safety needs, belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization. The research hypothesizes that internet access enables immigrant brides to progressively meet these needs. By providing critical information about healthcare, employment opportunities, and financial services, the internet helps address their basic survival and safety requirements. Furthermore, the internet facilitates communication through instant messaging, social media, and online forums, allowing these women to stay connected with their families, build new friendships, and establish support networks, thereby reducing social isolation. Additionally, access to educational resources, skill-building courses, and job opportunities fosters a sense of achievement and boosts self-worth, enhancing confidence and dignity. Finally, internet platforms offer tools for personal development, cultural participation, and creative self-expression, enabling immigrant brides to realize their potential and lead fulfilling lives.

Using data collected in 2023 by a government agency, this study analyzes responses from 1,500 Southeast Asian immigrant brides and applies Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to investigate how internet accessibility directly and indirectly enhances their well-being by facilitating the fulfillment of needs across Maslow’s hierarchy. By framing the analysis through this theoretical lens, the research underscores the empowering role of internet accessibility in improving the quality of life for immigrant brides in Taiwan.

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the flow and changes in quality of life(QoL) research in Korean papers. The goal is to understand and derive policy implications through the view. To this end, from 2000 to 2024 We conducted data mining and meta-analysis on 3,034 papers that were relevant to this study. The main results are as follows: First, the quality of life research in Korea has been continuously conducted over the past 20 years. It has been increasing and has changed since 2016 to emphasize diversity of topics and multidimensional approaches. Second, the text mining analysis results showed that the elderly, relationships and psychological factors, children and parents, participation and Six cluster types were derived, including leisure, college students, social environment, and policy, and policy interest in these were increased. Third, the correlation between quality of life and 25 major variables was confirmed through meta-analysis. The results were analyzed. Variable extraction and interpretation were based on the national quality of life indicators and domain system. As a result, the 11 areas and 71 indicators of the 'National Quality of Life Index' of the Korean National Statistical Office were It largely covers the main variables used in quality papers, and the analysis results are at the individual level. The variables had a higher impact on quality of life than those belonging to social and environmental dimensions. Fourth, the analysis results show that the influence of qualitative variables on quality of life is greater than that of quantitative variables, and digital activities The importance of the dragon was highlighted. The results of this study were based only on papers on the quality of life in Korea.

ABSTRACT. Most ethical guidelines for research order the researchers to not inflict harm on the participants. While this is indeed necessary, the harm that researchers can face during fieldwork is usually overlooked. In the recent years, the interest in researcher well-being and well-being in academia has mainly focused on systemic and workplace factors. Researchers conducting fieldwork face physical and emotional risks due to close interactions with participants, challenging research topics, and potentially adverse environments. Recent discussions highlight that safeguarding researcher well-being is an ethical responsibility not only for researchers but also for their institutions. This study, as part of an ongoing PhD research in Türkiye, explores the experiences of researchers, supervisors, and research ethics committee members regarding researcher well-being during fieldwork. Using an interpretive and critical approach, the study draws on qualitative data generated through 31 in-depth interviews and four focus groups. The study group consists of 23 female and seven male participants: 16 researchers, 10 supervisors, and four REC members. Key findings reveal four prominent themes: the critical role of communication, the influence of advisor and institutional support, the value of social support mechanisms, and the impact of experience-sharing among researchers. Participants emphasized the importance of clear communication and supportive relationships with advisors and institutions, while also highlighting the value of sharing experiences with colleagues to gain guidance and foster solidarity. Social support networks provide emotional relief and give a sense of validation. This study highlights the critical need for institutions to adopt holistic strategies that prioritize researcher well-being, including open communication, robust support systems, and shared experience platforms. Participants advocate for a multidisciplinary researcher support unit and challenge universities to address their ethical responsibilities in fostering sustainable well-being, emphasizing the imperative of institutional accountability in shaping a healthier research environment.

ABSTRACT. The study investigates the correlation between happiness (subjective well-being) and having children in academia. In other words, the paper tests the parental status and ability to maintain the work-life balance and to be research efficient for the faculty members in the UAE. Does having children make academicians happier or not? How do men and women adjust their life balance to combine childcare and academic work? The study applies mixed method approach. Empirical analysis is based on the faculty survey data and qualitative interviews collected at the UAE University. Life satisfaction and happiness of academicians is linked with the publication performance. The study shows that parenting requires more family time and leaves less opportunities for research publications. Single academicians are more productive in comparison with family men. The paper provides more interesting details from the statistical analysis of gender differences in parenting and academic performance and equips readers with the vital illustrations from the qualitative interviews.

ABSTRACT. What is the human mechanism for coping with expected and unexpected fluctuations in well-being? Psychological and economic theories suggest that possessing non-pecuniary capital promotes emotional resilience and reduces volatility in well-being. By integrating psychological, economic, and financial principles, this paper develops a deeper understanding of non-pecuniary capital’s protective role. The model is based on the notion that savings and diverse capital investments are key elements for coping with both foreseeable and unforeseeable disruptions in well-being. The proper allocation of the time, effort, attention and money sufficient for establishing a buffer against fluctuations in well-being is based on four conditions: (1) Overall well-being consisting of hedonia and eudaimonia; (2) Both components require an individual to be an active producer who invests scarce resources to accumulate both hedonic and eudaimonic capital, each divided into private and collective forms; (3) People act based on both selfish and altruistic motives; and (4) It is important to invest in one’s “authentic inner compass.” The model’s predictions are analyzed for two disruptions that can be expected – retirement from paid work and “empty nest syndrome” – and one unexpected “life quake.” The empirical evidence supporting the model is gathered from international experience.

ABSTRACT. The concept of meaning in life (MIL) is inherently complex, subjective, and thus challenging to measure, despite its core relevance in the promotion of individual well-being and flourishing. Self-measure tools, which we often use to measure self-perception of life meaningfulness, face well-documented limitations, including social desirability bias and inaccessibility for individuals with limited linguistic competence. Since MIL is a core construct in positive psychology, it is essential to explore alternative, innovative, and creative ways to measure it accurately and inclusively. This work presents an innovative approach for creating visual stimuli to operationalize MIL, defined as a multifaceted process encompassing the perception of having a coherent, purposeful, and worthwhile life, and being in an active search to reach such a life (Martela & Steger, 2016; Zambelli & Tagliabue, 2024). Three workshops were conducted with twelve professional artists with different background (painters, designers, architects) who, guided by definitions of each dimension of MIL, identified key technical characteristics (e.g., composition, color, lighting) required for images to capture these aspects. Based on their insights, a set of images was created to represent each MIL component. Images were evaluated by researchers and professionals to obtain evidence of face and content validity, based on which a final pool of visual stimula were identified to operazionalize MIL. This innovative project marks a first step toward the adoption of visual art to assess the subjective experience of meaning in life with fair and inclusive methods. This contribution opens up a reflection on the need to bridge psychology and art in order to access the richness and complexity of the subjective experience of meaning in life.

ABSTRACT. In this paper we focus on Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA) as a self-anchoring rating scale to assess overall subjective well-being (SWB) compared to other measures of SWB, such as the general life-satisfaction scale. ACSA’s distinguishing feature is the use of extreme scale anchors that refer to real experienced life situations: the reminisced best and worst periods in the respondent’s life. These are internal standards, thus less prone to relativity biases.

We applied the ACSA-scale and the other measures of SWB in Flanders (Belgium) in a general population. More specific, in the December 2024 wave of The Social Study, we used both the ACSA scale and the general life-satisfaction scale to measure subjective well-being.

In our analysis, we describe the metrics of the ACSA-scale and correlate ACSA ratings with the general life satisfaction scales of subjective well-being. Besides, we analyze the correlation between the measures of subjective well-being and a wide range of factors, such as health, socio-demographic characteristics, social relations, perceived economic status, … In this paper special attention is paid to the so-called skills/capabilities as self-efficacy, locus of control, optimism, autonomy, connectedness and (perceived) competences.

ABSTRACT. Time poverty and time wealth are increasingly recognized as essential dimensions of temporal welfare, yet their conceptualization and measurement remain inconsistent. Temporal welfare positions can be categorized into four states: well-being, deprivation, adaptation, and dissonance, shaped by the interplay of objective (temporal) conditions and subjective (temporal) well-being. While frameworks for material welfare positions are well-developed, clarity is lacking in the temporal dimension. Discussions on time wealth emphasize aspects such as leisure time, time sovereignty, plannability, and synchronization, whereas time poverty approaches differ, focusing on the lack of leisure and/or unpaid work time. Time wealth and time poverty are often studied separately, as are subjective and objective conditions, though their joint consideration is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of temporal welfare. This article systematically reviews the interdisciplinary research on temporal welfare positions, analyzing 398 journal articles and book contributions in German and English. It critically examines definitions, operationalizations, and measurement methods, offering a systematized perspective. Based on these findings, a refined framework is proposed to define and measure the four temporal welfare positions. This framework bridges existing gaps and enables a more precise analysis of quality of life by integrating time use—a critical yet often overlooked aspect of sustainable well-being and an important dimension in redefining progress.

ABSTRACT. The rapid aging of Korean society has caused serious social problems such as suicide among older adults. Because older adults are more sensitive to the community environment in which they live than other age groups, it is likely that the community environment affects their mental health (e.g., depression and suicidal thoughts). Therefore, this study focused on the relationship between attitudes toward the community environment, depression, and suicidal thoughts in older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of attitudes toward community environment on suicidal thoughts among older adults. Additionally, we aimed to confirm whether depression has a mediating effect on this relationship. We used data from the 2021 Community Health Survey of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The analysis included a sample of 70,218 individuals aged 65 years and above, using frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, and logistic mediation analysis. The main results of this study are as follows: First, 9.2% of the subjects in this study had suicidal thoughts. Second, the more negative the attitude toward the community environment, the higher the risk of suicidal thoughts and depression among older adults. The higher the level of depression, the higher the risk of suicidal thoughts among the older adults. Third, the results of verifying the mediating effect of depression through the Sobel test confirmed that the effect of attitudes toward the community on suicidal thoughts was partially mediated by depression. Therefore, we confirmed that older adults' attitudes toward the community not only had a direct effect on suicidal ideation but also had an indirect effect through depression. Based on these results, we suggest that it is important to make efforts to positively improve attitudes toward the community environment and address the problem of depression to reduce the risk of suicide among older Koreans.

ABSTRACT. The current understanding of meaning in life (MIL), recognizes three bases of MIL, including a sense of coherence, purpose, and existential mattering. However, recent research suggests that a sense of coherence may be the weakest, and least robust component of MIL. This project sought to clarify this relationship, by investigating whether a low sense of coherence would threaten MIL, relative to high coherence boosting MIL. Data were collected from 122 participants in the United Kingdom. Participants were asked to imagine themselves as either having low, moderate or high coherence using vignettes, and rated their sense of MIL as the person in the vignette. Results indicated an asymmetrical effect of coherence on MIL, where the difference between the low coherence condition and moderate coherence was larger, than the difference between the moderate coherence condition and high condition. These findings suggest that incoherence operates as a threat to MIL, compared to coherence as a source of MIL. We propose an alternative framework of viewing a sense of coherence, as a requirement for MIL rather than serving a meaning-boosting function, similar to accounts within the threat-compensation literature. This study is currently being replicated, and extended by incorporating vignettes relating to other MIL components, namely purpose and existential mattering.

ABSTRACT. What are the effective non-biological protective factors of physical pain is still an open inquiry. Here, we address this question across two studies. In Study 1, we explore the cross-lagged association between life satisfaction and physical pain using 22 waves from Australian longitudinal data (HILDA; N = 233,854), individual fixed effects regressions, and Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPM). We found a bidirectional relationship between life satisfaction and pain which is virtually identical across both methods. In Study 2, we use data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (N = 4,178) and Ordinary Least Squares regressions with a wide set of covariates. We found that people who reported greater life satisfaction at age 26 (vs lower) reported lower physical pain at age 46. This association was mediated by psychological distress (37%) and physiological dysregulation (13%). These findings can inform psychological interventions to reduce physical pain and improve quality of life.

ABSTRACT. This research examines the spatial patterns and determinants of well-being in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area, Ghana, focusing on three core dimensions: happiness, life satisfaction, and love for the city. By integrating spatial clustering techniques and Local Moran's I, this study identifies and quantifies spatial autocorrelation of well-being indicators at the neighborhood level. Data from 514 households were analyzed, incorporating socio-demographic variables, geographic coordinates, and well-being measures. Spatial weights were derived using k-nearest neighbors, and Local Moran's I was employed to detect statistically significant clusters and spatial outliers.

The results reveal a heterogeneous distribution of well-being across the metropolitan area, with high-happiness clusters predominantly located in neighborhoods characterized by higher educational attainment, smaller household sizes, and stable employment. Conversely, low-happiness clusters are associated with areas of economic vulnerability, lower satisfaction levels, and reduced attachment to the city. The analysis highlights significant spatial dependence, with high-high and low-low well-being clusters, as well as high-low spatial outliers, indicating localized disparities.

This study contributes to the understanding of spatial dynamics in well-being by linking socio-economic factors with geographic patterns. The findings provide actionable insights for urban policymakers and planners to address spatial inequities and enhance quality of life. The integration of advanced spatial analytics underscores the critical role of geographic context in shaping well-being, with implications for targeted interventions and resource allocation.

ABSTRACT. This paper provides an analytical framework for the study of spatial income dynamics using the classical measures of σ-convergence (reduction in dispersion) and β-convergence (poor areas grow more quickly than rich ones) linked by a re-ranking metric and reinterpreted based on the ‘leave no one behind’ principle. Our approach allows identifying the contribution of each territorial unit to each of the three facets of distributional change (σ-convergence, β-convergence, and re-ranking), as well as gauging the part of each component of distributional change that corresponds to geographically neighbouring and non-neighbouring units. We illustrate our proposal by examining convergence across the census tracts of Malaga – the sixth most populated city of Spain – before and after the COVID 19 pandemic. We find that while income convergence across Malaga’s census tracts tended to improve over the period 2015–2019, this process was interrupted during the first year of the pandemic, affecting some specific census tracts. We examine our outcomes by grouping the results into deciles and districts made up of specific census tracts. Finally, we analyse the impact of neighbours on regional convergence and each of its components. This spatial decomposition highlights the crucial role of the spatial component in the convergence process.

ABSTRACT. Background: Life- Centered Public Administration (LCPA) is a field of social science that focuses on improving the quality of life of citizens. A healthy city is a city that strives for the holistic health of its citizens as a way of implementing LCPA(Cho, 2015). The quality of life in LCPA means holistic health because WHOQOL pursues holistic health, which is the well-being of the physical, psychological, social, and environmental dimensions. Among the various paradigms of public administration, New Public Service(NPS) and New Public Governance(NPG) emphasize the importance of citizen participation(Denhardt, 2015;Osborne,2006). The fourth of the 11 characteristics of a healthy city emphasizes citizen participation. The pattern of citizen participation refers to the various ways in which citizens engage in decision-making processes, ranging from providing feedback on policies such as informing & consulting to actively co-creating solutions in governance including involvement, collaboration, and empowerment. Citizen participation in healthy cities is active in Copenhagen, Porto Alegre, Amsterdam, Vancouver, Barcelona, and Seoul etc. Glocal Healthy City Institute (GHCI) is an interdisciplinary research organization accredited in 2024 as a talent donation and citizen participation organization in line with the legislation of the Healthy City in 2021 in Korea. Methods: Literature review on Healthy City and Citizen Participation, Case study of GHCI Results: GHCI consists of two types of members: citizen members and research members. When citizen members complete a certain amount of education, they become research members and can participate in research projects and give lectures like existing master's and doctoral research members. GHCI's research services include diagnosing and evaluating cities using healthy city indicators, holding symposiums based on these indicators, and providing citizen education on healthy cities. Discussion: As a development strategy for citizen participation, GHCI will contribute to more effective creation of healthy cities and improvement of citizens’ quality of life.

ABSTRACT. Despite growing interest in measuring wellbeing, there has been little effort to use this data to determine how to cost-effectively allocate resources. When it comes to private resources, it raises a critical question: which charities are the most cost-effective at improving wellbeing? For example, would $1,000 be better spent on providing cash transfers or psychotherapy? We present a review of charity cost-effectiveness analyses which have been conducted using wellbeing-adjusted life years (WELLBYs).

We find 24 analyses from four different evaluator groups, including ourselves. This dataset encompasses a diverse range of charities operating globally. Although not entirely representative, it provides insight into a broad spectrum of charities and intervention. The analysis reveals significant disparities in the wellbeing cost-effectiveness of these charities. The most effective charities are hundreds, even nearly a thousand, times more impactful at increasing global wellbeing compared to others. Charities operating in low-income countries are typically more cost-effective than those operating in high-income countries. Consequently, donors can substantially amplify their impact, without additional expense, by prioritising funding for the most cost-effective organisations.

We also discuss methods and challenges of applied cost-effectiveness research. This includes what data to use, how to integrate effects over time, how to include possible household spillovers, internal and external validity adjustments, and more.

This work is the first to summarise the cost-effectiveness of charities in terms of wellbeing impact, providing a foundation for comparing across charities and broader interventions.

By leveraging WELLBYs, we propose a practical framework for setting priorities and optimising resource allocation to maximise subjective wellbeing. This approach not only advances charity evaluation but also supports global efforts to enhance quality of life.

This presentation builds on our contributions to a chapter in the World Happiness Report.

ABSTRACT. A summary of, and background to, the UK HMT Green Book Wellbeing Supplementary Guidance for using wellbeing evidence and cost effectiveness analysis in policy making. This will cover - The role of multi-dimensionality and subjective wellbeing cost effectiveness analysis in the approach. - Methodological issues, development and future challenges. - the role and value of effectiveness and other types of evaluation in policy, charity and industry sectors in future development of the evidence informed decision making for wellbeing.

This builds on the work of the What Works Centre for Wellbeing from 2014-2024 and UK wide public policy making from 2002-2024.

ABSTRACT. The government spends billions on our behalf. How do we want this money to be spent?

If the focus is to improve people’s wellbeing and to reduce the prevalence of misery, every policy should be judged by the wellbeing benefits it provides per pound spent. In theory this already happens through cost benefit analysis, but in practice the calculations need to include all the non-economic factors that affect people’s wellbeing – factors like having a job, or better health, or crime-free streets.

The LSE Wellbeing Value for Money project put this into practice and applied wellbeing analysis to a range of over 20 policy areas in the UK, from road building to R&D spending, apprenticeship placements to class sizes. The project estimated the cost per WELLBY (“wellbeing adjusted life year”) as well as the costs compared to all monetised benefits, incorporating the monetary value of a WELLBY.

The results uncover many areas with very high value for money and even net savings, as well as other policy areas with lower value for money. This demonstrates how government funding can and should be reallocated for better “wellbeing value for money” and how this approach could be applied in other countries. In addition, the study highlighting some remaining and important methodological questions, such wellbeing equity weightings and estimating the WELLBY for children.

ABSTRACT. How should we measure wellbeing to guide research and policy effectively? This session explores two competing approaches to measuring wellbeing — unidimensional versus multidimensional — and considers their practical implications.

Unidimensional measures, such as life satisfaction scales, condense wellbeing into a single metric, offering simplicity, ease of interpretation, and comparability across contexts. Advocates argue that these measures capture the essence of subjective wellbeing and provide a clear basis for evaluating interventions.

In contrast, multidimensional approaches recognize wellbeing as a complex construct encompassing various domains, such as health, relationships, purpose, and autonomy. Proponents suggest that these richer frameworks better reflect the nuances of human experience and address diverse priorities across populations.

A third perspective contends that while these approaches differ in theory, they yield similar conclusions in practice.

This session will feature three short presentations, each making the case for one of these viewpoints. Following the presentations, the audience will engage in a moderated discussion and Q&A session exploring the trade-offs, overlaps, and practical applications of these approaches.

ABSTRACT. Previous studies have reported gender differences in overall subjective quality of life, favoring men. Nevertheless, the growing fight for women's rights, activism aimed at strengthening women's mental health and independence, may contribute to an increase in their subjective quality of life. The aim of study was to investigate whether there are gender differences in quality of life in Croatia by comparing year 2017 and 2024. The study included a total of 700 participants; 356 in 2017 aged 22-42 years (56.2% women), and 344 in 2024 aged 21-45 years (65.7% women). All participants were final-year graduate students and recent graduates. To access quality of life the International Well-being Index was used, comprises Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) and National Wellbeing Index (NWI). Results revealed significant gender differences in 2017 for PWI where men reporting a higher PWI (women M=60.79+/-19.89, men M=69.92+/-18.15; t=4.51, p<.001), and there was no significant gender difference in NWI. On the other hand, in 2024, no significant gender difference was found in PWI, but was found for NWI when men reported a higher NWI (women M=42.95+/-21.29, men M=50.59+/-25.23; t=2.96, p=.003). Furthermore, results indicated a significant increase in the women's PWI from 2017 (M=60.79+/-19.89) to 2024 (M=72.47+/-19.79), (t= -6.064, p<.001), and significant increase in NWI for men (p=.017). A higher women's PWI in 2024, may be the result of the growing social emphasis on women's empowerment, including the strengthening of their mental resources, social and economic independence and greater social engagement through activism. In 2024, men have a higher NWI, which may reflect ongoing social and economic challenges faced by women, such as pay inequality, and work-life balance. While women have made significant progress in personal well-being, these societal and institutional challenges may still negatively impact their NWI. Activism and policies promoting gender equality could improve women’s quality of life.

ABSTRACT. This study explores the relationship between subjective gender and life satisfaction across 24 European countries, using data from over 40,000 participants in round 11 of the European Social Survey. Departing from cultural fit theory, we hypothesize that congruency between individual and collective (population average) subjective gender enhances life satisfaction, while incongruency reduces life satisfaction. Our findings reveal that subjective gender aligns closely with biological sex in most societies. In line with cultural fit theory, women who feel less feminine (and men who feel less masculine) than the national average report lower life satisfaction. In contrast, women who feel more feminine (and men who feel more masculine) than the national average report higher life satisfaction. For both women and men, human development and gender inequality moderate the life satisfaction - subjective gender relationship. Our results underscore the role of societal context in shaping the life satisfaction - subjective gender relationship.

ABSTRACT. Measuring gender equality is essential for effective policymaking in the European Union. The Gender Equality Index serves as a unique tool that simplifies the multidimensional nature of gender equality into an accessible and actionable measure, aligned with the EU’s policy objectives. By highlighting progress, setbacks, and opportunities for change, the Index provides valuable insights into disparities across key domains such as health, education, economic participation, and political representation—factors that profoundly influence individual and societal well-being.

Since its launch in 2013, the Gender Equality Index has become a cornerstone for tracking gender equality progress and addressing persistent challenges within the EU and its Member States. Over the past decade, global transformations—including technological advancements, shifts in work patterns, demographic changes, and emerging health challenges—have introduced new dynamics affecting gender equality. These megatrends underscore the need to reassess and update the Index to ensure its continued relevance and alignment with evolving realities.

In response, the European Institute for Gender Equality conducted a comprehensive review of the Index’s conceptual and measurement frameworks. This review explored the integration of emerging topics and challenges, provided suitable data sources are available. It also assessed the potential removal of outdated indicators, misaligned with current EU and national policy frameworks, and proposed modifications to enhance the Index’s relevance and impact.

This paper presents an overview of the Gender Equality Index review, outlining key findings and proposed updates to ensure the Index remains a robust tool for advancing gender equality in a rapidly changing world.

ABSTRACT. This paper aims to show the impact of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, thus enabling states to enforce abortions bans throughout the US. I plan to examine reactions to this decision in two European countries - France and Romania, in order to measure how women perceive this decision, the level of threat they feel and their overall position on the question on abortion. Furthermore I plan to examine the influence of the Church in this perception and the extent of its influence in adopting anti abortion positions. Lastly, the study is meant to analyse the rhetoric of pro- life and pro-choice activists and how these movements translate into the everyday life of modern women.

ABSTRACT. In this presentation I offer an overview of the “data ecosystem” as it pertains to community indicators. This includes government produced publicly available data, locally produced program data and everything in between. I then examine advances in technology and tools that have enhanced or promise to enhance the effectiveness of the community indicator field. This includes such things as new players in the community indicator vendor market, open source resources, dashboard approaches and new API related real time integrations that help move the community indicators field into the new era of the internet of things.

ABSTRACT. Much of the research on subjective indicators of city quality of life is based on surveys of selected cities and populations, which limits the generalizability of the study findings. In this presentation, we report on a model that applies to all cities across the globe. We tested this model using a social survey with the exact set of subjective indicators across a multitude of cities in a global context, namely the Gallup World Survey. Our theoretical model involves three major hypotheses. The first hypothesis states that residents’ perceived city quality of life is a positive function of satisfaction with the city’s conditions and services. This hypothesis was broken down by the various city conditions and services (i.e., the city’s infrastructure, social services, physical environment, economic environment, and social environment). The second and third hypotheses focused on the mediation effect of residents’ perceived city quality of life. Specifically, we argue that the effects of residents' satisfaction with the city’s conditions and services on residents’ subjective wellbeing (i.e., life satisfaction and affective wellbeing) are mediated by residents’ perceived city quality of life. We explained this mediating effect using bottom-up spillover theory. We tested these hypotheses using survey data from the 2019 Gallup World Poll. The sample involved 162,740 respondents from 137 countries. The results of multi-level modeling were supportive of our hypotheses. Policy implications will be discussed with suggestions for future research.

ABSTRACT. Background: The Australian Urban Observatory is a digital liveability planning platform measuring and monitoring liveability down to the local neighbourhood level across the 21 largest cities of Australia. Established in 2020, liveability indicators included in the Australian Urban Observatory are guided by a comprehensive definition of liveability with the digital portal developed and co-designed overtime in response to the needs to policymakers who are applying the indicators as evidence in policymaking. The transdisciplinary project is based on expertise in public health, urban planning, geography, architecture, geospatial science, computer science and artificial intelligence to establish foundational knowledge about the liveability of Australian cities that has also been applied in Thailand and Japan.

Purpose: This presentation will provide an overview of the digital liveability indicators system, describe how the evidence is being applied in government and industry contexts to create value and impact in urban policy and planning in Australia. This includes the use of computer science and artificial intelligence to support development of innovative neighbourhood liveability indicators in response to emerging community and policy needs. The presentation will also provide an overview of co-designed resources and toolkits developed to support improved public health and urban policymaking, and support advocacy action to improve liveability across the country. The presentation will argue that indicators alone are not enough to support the critical issues of evidence-informed health and urban policy development and that new methods of data visualisation, communication and engagement need to evolve to ensure the value of indicator systems.

Funding: Ian Potter Foundation, Australia.

ABSTRACT. Minnesota Compass (www.mncompass.org) is a community indicators project that has compiled trends in quality of life for the state and its local communities for more than 15 years. In this presentation, Compass team members will share lessons from recent updates to our Public Safety topic area.

Since our founding, Minnesota Compass has tracked trends in our Public Safety topic area from the lens of crime and corrections. On the heels of events that affected our state and communities very locally – in particular, the police-involved murders of Philando Castile and George Floyd, and the civil unrest that followed these events – it has become increasingly clear that our public safety indicators no longer reflect the community safety issues that matter most to Minnesotans’ quality of life.

Our project is now on the threshold of launching a set of four new key measures of public safety, identified in collaboration with an advisory group composed of diverse stakeholders representing Minnesota’s business, government, nonprofit, community organizing, academic, and philanthropic sectors.

This presentation will focus on lessons learned through: * Our advisory group process to identify relevant public safety issues, * Identifying indicators, reviewing existing data sources, and collecting primary data, and * Constructing timely and nuanced stories about objective and subjective measures of public and personal safety for broad audiences.

Audience members will hear about our experiences in: * Ensuring diverse stakeholders feel that their experiences and expertise are welcomed, included, heard, and valued, * Building consensus across differences, * Leveraging existing data sources to assemble indicators, * Experimenting with primary data collection to address gaps in existing data sources, and * Storytelling with data.

ABSTRACT. Pioneering work on the economic determinants of subjective wellbeing (SWB) examined the relative importance of inflation and unemployment in affecting happiness within nations (DiTella et al., 2001). We extend this work to examine the impact of property price and rent inflation (that, in turn, reflect monetary and fiscal policies) on the subjective wellbeing of people in different forms of housing tenure (homeownership, private rentals and public rentals). In addition, we examine whether property price and rent movements have impacted on measures of material wellbeing (including non-housing consumption expenditures), which is one potential channel through which macroeconomic policies may affect the SWB of different groups. We use official statistical data gathered by StatsNZ – the Household Economic Survey (HES) and General Social Survey (GSS) – each of which enables us to distinguish household tenure type together with measures of subjective and material wellbeing. These micro datasets are combined with macro level house price and rent data and with indicators of monetary and fiscal policy settings. The analysis highlights how monetary and fiscal policies, that act via the property market, can cause wellbeing inequalities according to the nature of a household’s tenure type.

Reference Di Tella, R., MacCulloch, R., & Oswald, A. (2001). Preferences over Inflation and Unemployment: Evidence from Surveys of Happiness. The American Economic Review, 91(1), 335-341.

ABSTRACT. Expectations about the future are a key determinant of individuals’ consumption, investment, and labor market decisions. Personal income tax (PIT) is among the most visible and tangible elements of economic policy, directly influencing individuals’ disposable income. This paper examines how major PIT reforms, specifically the introduction (in Bulgaria and Hungary) or abolition (in Latvia and Lithuania) of a flat tax system, affect individuals’ expectations regarding their personal lives, household financial situations, and their countries’ economic and unemployment prospects. Using quarterly Eurobarometer survey data spanning 2001 to 2023, the study employs a Difference-in-Differences econometric framework that compares treated countries to various control groups composed of countries with similar characteristics and stable tax regimes. The analysis is conducted separately for each treated country, focusing on distinct periods around each reform to better isolate its effects and utilizing tailored control countries to account for context-specific factors. Preliminary findings suggest that the introduction and abolition of the flat tax do not produce perfectly symmetrical or opposing outcomes, highlighting the role of the underlying socio-political context in shaping the relationship between the reform and individuals’ expectations. Furthermore, the study explores heterogeneities in responses across demographic groups, including age, political orientation, education level, and employment status, providing deeper insights into the socio-economic consequences of tax policy changes.

ABSTRACT. Can people develop trust in Artificial Intelligence (AI) as they learn about its developments? We conducted a survey experiment in a nationally representative panel survey in the United States (N = 1,491) to study whether exposure to news about AI influences trust differently than learning about non-AI scientific advancements. The results show that people trust AI advancements less than non-AI scientific developments, with significant variations across domains. The mistrust of AI is the smallest in medicine, a high-stakes domain and largest in the area of personal relationships. The key mediators are context-specific: fear is the most critical mediator for linguistics, excitement for medicine, and societal benefit for dating. Personality traits do not affect trust differences in the linguistics domain. In medicine, mistrust of AI is higher among respondents with high agreeableness and neuroticism scores. In personal relationships, mistrust of AI is strongest among individuals with high openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. Our results provide an insight into how people form trust when encountering information about AI for the first time and have implications for tailored communication strategies about AI advancements in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

ABSTRACT. Feeling like an outsider in one’s family during childhood profoundly shapes an individual’s developmental trajectory and subsequent well-being in adulthood, but most of the evidence that exists linking subjective social family exclusion growing up with later well-being is based on data from Western contexts. Using data from the Global Flourishing Study, a diverse, international sample of 202,898 individuals across 22 countries, this study examined relationships between subjective family exclusion during childhood and 47 multi-dimensional indicators of well-being in adulthood. Our results showed that feeling like an outsider during childhood was associated most outcomes across well-being domains, including psychological well-being (12/12 indicators), psychological distress (4/4 indicators), social well-being (8/9 indicators), social distress (2/2 indicators), physical health and health behavior (4/6 indicators), character and prosocial behavior (6/9 indicators), and socioeconomic outcomes (4/6 indicators). While subjective family exclusion was related to worse subsequent well-being along all indicators in several domains (psychological well-being and distress, social distress, physical health and health behavior, socioeconomic outcomes), it was associated with better outcomes along select indicators in the domains of social well-being and character and prosocial behavior. Specifically, feeling like an outsider growing up was associated with higher trust, community participation, and government approval in the social well-being domain, and with higher charitable giving, helping, and volunteering in the character and prosocial behavior domain. Additionally, the pattern of these associations differed by country, reflecting diverse societal influences. The findings from this study provide comprehensive insights into the potential role of subjective family exclusion in contributing to various outcomes in adulthood and provides valuable evidence for developing approaches to promote well-being in adulthood in different national contexts.

ABSTRACT. Flourishing indicates the extent to which all aspects of a person’s life, including the context in which they live, are considered good. There are several individual, relational contextual factors that might influence the state of wellbeing and the potential for thriving throughout the lifespan. Among these, being loved by parents and caregivers during childhood plays a crucial role in psychosocial development, by promoting a proactive and confident attitude toward others and the environment, that can foster their ability to thrive under uneven circumstances and sustain high levels of well-being even years later. This study adopts a systemic perspective on well-being to examine similarities and differences in the network of conditional pairwise associations between the fundamental components of flourishing (happiness and life satisfaction, mental and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, close social relationships, and financial and material stability) among adults who endorsed feeling loved by their parents while growing up and those who did not. Data comes from the first wave of the Global Flourishing Study, a cross-cultural study with over 200,000 participants from 22 culturally and geographically diverse countries. A psychometric network analysis revealed a network of positive partial associations between all flourishing components, except financial and material stability which showed a marginal involvement. In more than half of the countries we found at least one association that was significantly different between individuals who felt loved by parents and those who did not. The most discrepant association was between close social relationships and happiness, being stronger for those who didn’t experience parental love during childhood. Cross-country differences in light of socio-contextual peculiarities will be crucial for informing the development of targeted flourishing interventions to help individuals to thrive during their voyage into this beautiful and complex world.

ABSTRACT. Well-being (WB) can be assessed using various indicators, both objective and subjective, including self-report measures. This study focuses on three types of WB measured by self-report: subjective WB, social WB, and personal WB, with the latter two considered as forms of eudaimonic WB. Subjective WB refers to cognitive evaluations (e.g., life satisfaction) and affective experiences (e.g., positive feelings or happiness) based on one’s own subjective criteria. Social WB pertains to functioning well in a social context, while personal WB reflects optimal functioning and striving for self-actualization through the fulfillment of the basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. We used data from the Global Flourishing Study, a large and diverse international sample of more than 200,000 individuals across 22 countries. We examined whether the relationships between family experiences in adolescence, personality traits, and WB in adulthood differ depending on the economic development of a country. Specifically, we hypothesized that positive prior family experiences will predict more adaptive personality traits in adulthood, which in turn, will be associated with higher levels of WB (subjective, personal eudaimonic, and social eudaimonic WB) in adulthood. Direct and indirect (through personality traits) effects are examined. Additionally, we anticipated that the strength of these associations will vary across countries, reflecting differences in societal and cultural influences. To test these hypotheses, we categorized countries based on their economic development, comparing members of the OECD (developed countries) to non-OECD (developing countries). Our findings will highlight the critical role of positive family experiences in shaping personality traits and WB in adulthood, underscoring their universal importance across diverse cultural contexts. However, the results will also reveal whether the societal and economic factors can moderate the pathways linking family, personality, and WB. These insights provide a foundation for tailoring interventions to promote WB in both developed and developing societies.

ABSTRACT. Although global data on subjective well-being among children and adolescents remain limited, evidence from high-income countries provides valuable insights. The World Happiness Report (2024) reveals a decline in life satisfaction among individuals aged 15–24 in Western countries between 2006 and 2022. Mounting warnings in the media about the worsening mental health of young people in high-income nations are empirically well-founded. Mental disorders of young people have mushroomed since the 1980s. The crisis of youngsters’ well-being may have far-reaching implications. Research demonstrates that childhood well-being significantly influences adult outcomes, including life satisfaction, career success, physical health, and the quality of relationships. In recent years, there has been growing global interest in the study of children's subjective well-being. However, this field still lacks a systematic review and analysis. To date, research has primarily concentrated on the intrinsic mechanisms influencing children's well-being, as well as the family, social, and cultural factors that may shape it. Despite this, there is limited understanding of how more structural phenomena affect children's well-being. The wide scope and the decades-long duration of the well-being crisis of the youth requires systemic explanations. In this work, we first provide a brief review of the literature on the determinants of children’s well-being, with a special emphasis on children's time use and its impact on their social experiences and well-being. We then explore the potential structural dynamics that may influence children’s well-being in high income countries, as well as the policy reforms needed to address these structural phenomena. In particular, we argue that urban planning, and the educational system, advertising, play a critical role in shaping children’s social experiences and well-being, and conclude by emphasizing the necessities of radical reforms in these areas to restore young people’s time, provide them with opportunity for autonomous experiences, and safeguard their social lives and well-being.

ABSTRACT. Background: The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grain cereals, legumes, fish and nuts; low-to-moderate consumption of dairy products and limited amounts of red meat and red wine. It is low in saturated fats and high in antioxidants, fiber and mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids mainly derived from extra virgin olive oil and oily fish. Adherence to MD is known to have positive impact on maternal and offspring health in terms of longevity and disease prevention and protects against stress and anxiety. While some studies have found MD to be associated with better quality of life (QOL) both in adolescents and adults, we are not aware of findings related to adherence to MD among pregnant women and its association with quality of life. Methods: 123 Israeli women completed an online questionnaire assessing quality of life (WHOQOL- BREF) and adherence to MD and physical activity. Results: Age and number of children were not associated with QOL. We found significant and positive associations between adherence to MD and the general QOL score as well as all four aspects included in the QOL measure (physical, psychological, social and environmental health; the highest being with psychological health r= .35, p<.01). Adherence to physical activity was associated significantly (yet weakly), only with social and environmental aspects of QOL (r=.19, and r=.17, p<.05). Conclusions: The findings may help formulate recommendations for adopting Mediterranean Diet during pregnancy, thus helping women improve their quality of life during a major life change.

ABSTRACT. Intimate partner violence (IPV) against pregnant women can negatively affect telomere length. Understanding the impacts of different IPV patterns and their potential mechanisms is critical. The current study aims to explore the effects of different maternal IPV experiences and the pathways through which they influence infant telomere biology.

This population-based study in Hong Kong enrolled 774 pregnant women in their 20th to 24th week of gestation. Women reported demographic characteristics, pre- and during-pregnancy IPV exposure, and depressive symptoms four weeks postpartum. Midwives collected umbilical cord blood at delivery. Newborn telomere length was assessed using quantitative PCR method and expressed in the T/S ratio (the ratio of telomere repeat copy numbers to single-copy gene numbers). The study identified four IPV patterns: Sustained IPV (exposure both before and during pregnancy, 8.3%); Pregnancy IPV (no pre-pregnancy exposure but experienced during pregnancy, 2.3%); Discontinued IPV (pre-pregnancy exposure discontinued during pregnancy, 12.9%); and No IPV (no exposure at either time point, 76.5%). After adjusting for demographic factors, recent IPV patterns, including Sustained and Pregnancy IPV, were significantly associated with shorter newborn telomere length (β = -0.08). Furthermore, maternal depressive symptoms may mediate the relationship between IPV patterns and newborn telomere length compared to the No IPV pattern (effect size = -0.06, 95% CI = [-0.14, -0.004]).

This pioneering research provides evidence highlighting the critical need to address maternal IPV patterns, their impact on infant telomere biology, and the potential mediating role of maternal mental health.

ABSTRACT. Background: Healthy city is a city that is continually creating and improving physical and social environments and expanding community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in performing all functions of life and in developing to maximum potentials (Hancock & Duhl, 1988). Healthy city is defined as a city that is striving for holistic health of citizens (Cho, 2015). The Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC), which includes Australia, Japan, China and Korea, has 194 cities as members. In Korea, the Healthy Cities Act has come into effect since December 2023. The concept of Healthy Cities Indicators (HCIs) plays a vital role in the assessment and promotion of urban well-being. The Healthy City Indicators were initially refined from 53 to 32, and research on the Healthy City Indicators has continued in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (Webster et al. 2015; Bafarasat, 2023). A holistic health approach to HCIs is a crucial paradigm for improving urban health indicators. Here, we will try to construct the healthy city indicators by the four areas of WHOQOL: physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains with basic urban status. Methods: Literature review on Healthy City Indicators, Content analysis of them. Results: Physically healthy city indicators including cancer incidence, obesity weight control, walking practice rate; mentally healthy city indicators including stress experience rate, drinking rate, reading rate etc.; socially healthy city indicators including housing supply rate, economic activity participation rate, number of volunteers etc.; environmentally healthy city indicators including fine dust, green space ratio, waste recycling and etc; basically healthy city indicators including birth rate, death rate, life satisfaction, life expectancy,etc. Discussion: The division of these five areas into HCIs will help to systematize and develop more rational HCIs and easily communicate them to citizens. It will also help to develop a Korean HCIs.

ABSTRACT. In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a comprehensive action plan for people, planet, and prosperity. Endorsed by 193 countries, the Agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets spanning environmental, economic, social, and institutional dimensions, to be achieved by 2030. Official statistics play a pivotal role in monitoring progress towards the SDGs and, in this context, it is crucial to develop appropriate methodologies to assess the extent to which the Agenda’s targets are being met, highlighting disparities (by territories, gender, generations, etc.), the direction of progress, and its pace. This is essential to foster the debate on sustainable development and provide valuable information to stakeholders, citizens and policymakers.

The objective of our talk is to present a possible approach to evaluating the progress of Italy towards the SDGs, also underling disparities. Starting from the Istat-SDGs framework for measuring sustainable development and drawing inspiration from international best practices (Eurostat, OECD, SDSN, UNESCAP, ...), we intend to directly compute the attainment level with respect to the specific targets of the Agenda. By employing simple, communicable metrics, we aim to quantify the level of achievement (also enabling comparisons between different targets and goals) and to evaluate whether the advancements made since 2015 are sufficient to meet the goals in 2030.

We will discuss both the methodology, including its limitations and strengths, related to target setting, normalization, aggregation, and extrapolation and the main results obtained so far. We will also outline possible future developments.

ABSTRACT. There is growing scepticism within the climate research community about whether green growth can be an effective strategy for protecting the environment while improving living standards. A recent survey of climate policy researchers found that over two-thirds held post-growth views, believing that continued GDP growth is neither essential for improving living standards nor environmental protection. Post-growth views were also more prevalent among respondents from wealthier countries with lower levels of inequality. Building on these findings, we surveyed 19,328 citizens across 13 EU countries to examine public attitudes towards economic growth and their relationship with socio-demographic characteristics, political views, individual values, and climate policy preferences. While EU citizens were considerably more pro-growth than climate policy researchers, similar patterns emerged: growth scepticism was more prevalent in wealthier and more equal countries with higher perceived quality of life. At the individual level, pro-growth views were positively associated with being male, older, and politically right-leaning, as well as with trust in politicians and confidence in their climate action efforts. Notably, growth views showed little association with climate concern or support for climate policies. These findings suggest that public attitudes do not fit a simple trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection, as often framed in academic discourse. Basic human values also had significant associations: self-direction and conservation values were positively associated with pro-growth views, but unexpectedly so were benevolence and equality. This may suggest that many citizens view economic growth as a means to promote societal wellbeing rather than engaging with critiques of GDP as a measure of progress. These findings highlight the need for a more nuanced understanding of public attitudes by exploring whether pro-growth opinions are primarily shaped by a belief in GDP growth as essential for human well-being or by techno-optimism about decoupling growth from environmental harm.

ABSTRACT. The Sustainable Wellbeing Index, with the aim of going beyond GDP, is based on the consolidation of a new way of conceiving wellbeing; that is, a redefinition of the concept of wellbeing and progress. In this conception, it is first essential to merge the wellbeing of the present and future generations into one, to understand it as Sustainable Wellbeing. Second, measurement must make a methodological leap between results indicators, more associated with GDP and the short term, towards capacity indicators, much more associated with the future, the long term, risk, and personal growth.

To consolidate this, Nussbaum's capabilities approach provides a special starting point. These 10 core capabilities correspond to the conditions and the basis for guaranteeing sustainable well-being over time, so identifying them allows us to steer the present towards the future. In the Sustainable Well-being Index test (which serves as an example), applied to Latin America (Latam), 116 indicators were selected, which are distributed in each of its 12 dimensions.

The Sustainable Wellbeing proposal has been developed since 2012 at the Central University of Venezuela. Nowadays, it is more common to find perspectives that seek to combine wellbeing and sustainability, for example: Monitoring inclusive and sustainable well-being in the Netherlands (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek); New Metrics for Sustainable Prosperity: Options for GDP+3 (European Commission); Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing, the road forward (European Commission). We also find an important assessment of wellbeing and sustainability in the UN Pact for the Future 2024 and the Future Generations Declaration 2024, followed by the proposal for the System of National Accounts for 2025.

Aspects that will serve to contrast and highlight the importance of combining well-being and sustainability, as a guarantee of a better present and future for all.

ABSTRACT. This study represents a pioneering effort to integrate the fields of happiness economics and environmental sustainability using the Delphi method to propose actionable strategies for a more sustainable and fulfilling future. By consulting a multidisciplinary panel of 16 experts, this research identified policy measures and individual actions that simultaneously enhance subjective well-being (SWB) and promote environmental sustainability. Through a two-round Delphi process, the experts suggested and evaluated 34 policy measures and 23 individual actions across four dimensions: Environmental Effectiveness, SWB Effectiveness, Feasibility, and Cost-Effectiveness. Key policy recommendations include prioritizing human well-being and environmental sustainability, implementing well-being-based cost-benefit analyses for externalities, and reducing car use. Individual actions such as cultivating social relationships, engaging in pro-social voluntary activities, and reducing conspicuous consumption emerged as highly effective. The findings highlight a growing consensus on the need to shift from a growth-centered economy towards one that prioritizes well-being and sustainability. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and individuals, emphasizing the potential for integrative strategies to address the dual challenges of improving human and planetary health. Future research should further explore the implementation of these strategies and their impact across diverse contexts.

ABSTRACT. Background: Stress has become a global epidemic, with millions experiencing chronic stress that contributes to severe mental and physical health challenges. Many individuals lack access to psychological or pharmacological help, leaving them in persistent distress. Given the uniqueness of each individual’s brain and psyche, psychologists cannot definitively determine the optimal resolution for achieving subjective well-being in every situation. For instance, while one person may need relaxation to manage stress, another may require mental mobilisation.

Objective: This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Psy-Try approach, which empowers individuals to independently identify and achieve their desired mental state. The method includes six stages: Pause, Sense, Yield, Think, Rebalance, and Yourself, guiding individuals toward dynamic mental balance.

Methodology: A 12-day intervention using the Psy-Try approach will involve 50 participants recruited online. Baseline stress levels will be measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), with follow-up assessments after the program. Statistical analysis, including paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests in RStudio, will determine the intervention’s effectiveness. To monitor progress and challenges, participants will complete brief evaluations every two days via Google Forms. Thematic analysis of these qualitative responses will identify common challenges and evaluate the method’s practicality.

Expected Outcomes: It is hypothesised that participants will show significant reductions in stress levels, highlighting the Psy-Try approach’s effectiveness in stress management.

Significance: Psy-Try emphasises an individual’s unique dynamic balance, offering a scientifically grounded self-help tool for stress management. This accessible method aims to enhance life quality and address broader psychological challenges, serving as a valuable resource for both individuals and psychologists. Future work will expand the approach to other areas of mental health.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the relationships between physical activity, psychological well-being, and resilience among young adults (18-30), focusing on character strengths as mediating factors. We hypothesized positive associations between physical activity, psychological well-being, and resilience, with character strengths serving as mediators enhancing these relationships. The research sampled 150 participants who completed the Mental Health Inventory (MHI), BASIC Ph resilience questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and identified five personal character strengths utilized during crisis periods. Analysis included correlation and mediation testing. Results revealed significant positive correlations between physical activity and psychological well-being, a partial positive relationship between exercise frequency and resilience, and a strong correlation between psychological well-being and resilience. Self-awareness, faith, openness, empathy, and listening abilities emerged as significant mediators, enhancing the impact of physical activity on both psychological well-being and resilience. The findings emphasize the importance of promoting physical activity as a key tool for enhancing psychological well-being and resilience among young adults, while nurturing character strengths as a complementary strategy. Study limitations include reliance on self-report measures, sample age restriction, and correlational design. Future research should incorporate objective measures, broader sampling, and experimental designs to examine causal mechanisms. This research highlights the potential of integrating physical activity with character strength development to promote mental health and personal resilience.

ABSTRACT. Abstract Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) can negatively impact the wellbeing of medical students. However, little is known about modifiable factors such as dimensions of meaning in life that could potentially mediate and/or moderate this association. The current study aimed to explore mediating and moderating role of meaning in life in the relationship between IU and wellbeing among medical students in Nigeria. The sample included 312 medical students aged 22 to 30 years who completed relevant self-report measures: Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Short Form. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro. The results showed that the direct effect of IU on wellbeing, presence of meaning in life (PML) and search for meaning in life (SML) was significant. Additionally, the direct effect of PML and SML on wellbeing was significant. An indirect effect of IU on wellbeing through the mechanism of PML was observed, while SML did not mediate the IU-wellbeing relationship. Moderation analyses revealed that IU had a negative impact on wellbeing at low and average levels of PML but not at high levels. Conversely, IU adversely affected wellbeing at high levels of SML but not at average or low levels. Interventions aimed at promoting the wellbeing of medical students, especially those with high levels of IU, may benefit from incorporating meaning-based therapies to enhance resilience to academic-related stress.

ABSTRACT. Background This study examines the relationship between serendipity and well-being, emphasizing its dual dimensions of experience and ability. Drawing on theoretical frameworks and empirical methods, the research identifies key components of serendipitous experiences: Value, Prepared Mind, Contingency, and Notice, as well as the ability to Discover Meaning and Reflect on encounters. Using factor analysis, scales were developed to measure these constructs, consisting of 24 items for serendipitous experiences and 17 items for serendipity ability.

Study 1 Study 1 used exploratory factor analyses to validate these scales.

Study 2 Study 2 confirmed the validity of the scales through confirmatory factor analysis, and examined, using the scales, the relationships between serendipity, well-being, and related constructs, including locus of control, luck beliefs, and personality traits. Results showed that serendipitous experiences, particularly valuable encounters, were positively associated with life satisfaction, higher positive emotions, and lower negative emotions. The serendipity ability of meaning discovery and retrospection were also associated with improved cognitive and affective well-being.

Findings The findings highlight the cultural relevance of serendipity in the Japanese context, consistent with concepts such as "wabi-sabi" and "small but certain happiness. These findings suggest that individuals who actively notice and derive meaning from unexpected encounters are better equipped to experience personal growth and well-being.

Significance and Limitation This study is the first to explicitly link serendipity to subjective well-being, providing new insights into how chance encounters contribute to happiness. The research highlights the potential of serendipity to enhance well-being in everyday life and provides a foundation for future interdisciplinary studies of this phenomenon. Limitations, including cultural specificity and reliance on self-report measures, suggest the need for cross-cultural and longitudinal research.

ABSTRACT. The overall levels and distribution of happiness in Türkiye have undergone significant shifts in recent years, marked by political turmoil and exacerbating economic instability. Yet, existing research on subjective well-being has largely focused on happiness levels, with limited attention given to happiness inequality and its underlying determinants. This study employs the livability approach, which emphasizes the role of institutional structures in shaping life opportunities, to explore the patterns of well-being distribution within society and analyze the mezzo-level factors influencing it over the past two decades. Using a quantitative secondary data analysis, the study draws on multiple data sources, including the Turkey Life Satisfaction Survey (2003–2020), the Turkey Income and Living Conditions Survey (2006–2020), the World Values Survey (1990–2018), and a comprehensive database of economic, political, and social indicators covering the last two decades. The analysis follows a two-step approach: first, descriptive statistics are employed to assess the distribution of happiness across various socio-demographic groups. Second, ordered logit models are applied to examine the relationships between subjective well-being—measured using the percent maximum deviation method—and individual socio-demographic characteristics alongside country-level indicators. Preliminary findings highlight significant disparities in subjective well-being among different social groups in Türkiye, particularly those facing relative deprivation. These disparities are influenced by key socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, family structure, migration status, ethnic identity, education, employment status, and receipt of social assistance. Furthermore, shifts in national income redistribution and political stability appear to play a crucial role in shaping these well-being inequalities.

ABSTRACT. Abstract The article examines the impact of Internet use on the subjective well-being of adolescents in Kazakhstan. This issue is an under-researched topic, and the age of this social group represents a unique period characterized by special needs and rights. The article focuses on a study that assesses the correlation between the level of Internet addiction and the level of subjective well-being; the study is the first in Kazakhstan to conduct an in-depth analysis of the relationship between Internet use and subjective well-being. The data used in this study is based on the results of a sociological survey conducted in 2021. The survey was conducted online via Google Forms, and 3,321 teenagers from all regions of Kazakhstan took part. The complex nature of the relationship between online activities and subjective well-being has been revealed. Excessive time spent online may reduce well-being somewhat, and the nature of the virtual experience may increase life satisfaction for some people.

ABSTRACT. The family has always been the primary natural environment for childbearing, upbringing, and education. As a foundational institution, the family serves as the cornerstone not only for the formation of society as a whole but also for shaping the life of younger generations, including their mental health and future prospects. However, this institution has undergone significant transformations—not only in size but also in structure and functions. The pace and impact of these changes vary according to cultural contexts. While such transformations have been more pronounced in Western industrial societies, they have progressed at a slower pace in Islamic societies. This paper aims to explore, through a survey-based approach, the perspectives of schooled adolescents regarding the quality of their family life and its relationship with their aspirations and concerns about the future. The study focuses on adolescents aged 16 to 19 years. The significance of this research lies in the unique social context—an Islamic country where the family institution is undergoing economic, social, and cultural shifts driven by technological advancements, declining job opportunities, and the rise of individualistic values. These changes coincide with evolving adolescent perspectives and lifestyles, particularly in the transition to adulthood. To achieve our objectives, we are conducting a data collection process in secondary schools, engaging approximately 500 male and female students. Our research tools include an index measuring the quality of family life, developed based on well-established indicators of personal well-being—such as satisfaction with family living conditions, health status, and personal safety. Additionally, we included questions assessing adolescents' aspirations and concerns about the future. Comparisons across various demographic, educational, and socio-cultural factors in these aspects will be conducted and reported.

ABSTRACT. Measuring and understanding individual perceptions of well-being is fundamental to developing public policies that improve people’s quality of life.

The Subjective Well-being Indicator project in Catalonia (Spain), was designed to understand how citizens perceive their own well-being, beyond traditional economic indicators. This initiative aimed at providing in-depth knowledge of the emotional and social factors that influence people’s quality of life in order to design public policies that improve their life satisfaction.

This project consisted of a two-wave panel survey of about 7,000 respondents. The sample was representative of the residents of Catalonia. With 4,000 respondents in the first wave (during 2022-2023) and 3,500 in the second (in 2024), it allowed to study in detail the determinants of well-being in the critical post-pandemic years.

Results show that, after controlling for a long list of indicators, from socioeconomic characteristics, to personality traits or time available to different facets of life; economic vulnerability and poor mental health have the highest negative impact in the quality of life, of the lowest, median and highest quartiles on the scale of well-being. We found that a robust social network of support can mitigate the pervasive effects of the economic conditions and of poor mental health. The presentation describes the methodology of the study, the best practices and lessons learned from the development of the questionnaires. We also briefly describe the challenges of implementation, but the main focus is on the main results. Also, the presentation describes the open-access repository of the data, which allows further research on the subject.

ABSTRACT. Available evidence shows that performance pay aligns the objectives of workers and firms by increasing wages and productivity. However, performance pay can also entail unintended negative consequences for workers’ health and well-being. This study is the first to systematically examine the association between performance pay and loneliness, a significant social well-being concern.

Investigating whether performance pay leads to loneliness stands as an important policy issue due to several reasons. First, the feeling of loneliness is on the rise globally and is acknowledged as a rising public health and well-being concern. Second, loneliness is associated with numerous negative consequences for individual health and well-being. Third, loneliness also entails negative consequences for firms, families, society, and economy as a whole.

There are at least three channels through which performance pay may increase the risk of worker loneliness. Workers receiving performance pay are: (1) less likely to exert helping effort to colleagues and be cooperative, (2) prioritizing work over family and private life, and (3) more likely to feel stressed. Overall, all these channels hint at a positive association between performance pay and loneliness.

I use the German Socio-Economic Panel to investigate the association between performance pay and loneliness directly. I find that performance pay is positively associated with incidence, dimensions, and intensity of loneliness. Correspondingly, performance pay is negatively associated with social life satisfaction of the workers. The findings also hold in sensible instrumental variable estimations addressing the potential endogeneity of performance pay and in various robustness checks. Investigating the potential role of moderating factors reveals that the association between performance pay and loneliness is particularly large for private sector employees. Finally, implications are discussed.

ABSTRACT. Housing costs are a large and rather inflexible part of most households' current expenditure and limit the income that can be spent on improving the well-being of household members in other ways. As family life cycle, lifetime earnings profile and home ownership are overlapping and interrelated, the housing cost burden varies across family types. Housing cost burden is typically assessed using either the share of housing costs in disposable income or the residual income, i.e. the household’s disposable income that remains after deducting its housing costs. Rather new are subjective measures of housing cost burden. We add to this research by using SOEP data to analyze the subjective and objective housing cost burden of differently composed families. Comparing subjective and objective measure we find that families with only older children do not report lower subjective housing cost burden than families with younger children, although the objective measure would predict that. Our contribution aims to analyze the observable divergence of the objective and the subjective measure for housing cost burden. Finding the drivers of this divergence could reveal factors that increase in particular the burden for families and hence challenge particularly the well-being in families.

ABSTRACT. Technostress refers to the stress experienced by individuals when using information and communication technology. While existing studies have shown that technostress often leads to burnout, there has been insufficient focus on how personal and organizational resources influence this relationship. Furthermore, despite the common perception that university students, as digital natives, are immune to technostress, recent shifts toward extensive online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and rapid advancements in artificial intelligence have significantly shaped their learning environments and heightened their exposure to technostress. This study aims to explore the relationships between techno-stressors, techno-distress, digital literacy, organizational support, and academic burnout in university students, thereby enriching our understanding of the factors that contribute to academic well-being in technology-intensive learning environments.

This study uses a sample of 636 university students from China. Participants report they experience moderate to high levels of techno-stressors (techno-overload, techno-insecurity, techno-invasion, and techno-complexity), which are positively related to techno-distress, highlighting the significant psychological burden these stressors place on students. The results reveal that students with advanced digital literacy exhibit significantly lower levels of techno-distress, emphasizing the protective role of individual skills. In contrast, institutional efforts to provide technical support do not significantly reduce techno-distress. Additionally, the research examines the mediating role of techno-distress in the relationship between techno-stressors and academic burnout. Results show that techno-insecurity, techno-invasion, and techno-complexity escalate academic burnout, with the effects fully mediated by techno-distress. This underscores the crucial role of psychological distress in transforming technology-induced stressors into academic burnout.

The findings of this study offer insights and approaches for educational policymakers and administrators to enhance student academic well-being and support their success in the digital age.

ABSTRACT. Places with high life satisfaction do not always have low suicidality and sometimes even have high suicidality. This questions the use of life satisfaction as an indicator of social progress and the goodness of well-being policies, and yet it is not well understood due to lack of apt microlevel data. The purpose of this study is to shed light on the paradox. Method: Microlevel data on suicide ideation and life satisfaction from Finland combined with multilevel analysis methods are used. Results: The paradox is because the moderately unsatisfied suffer more from suicide ideation in regions with high average life satisfaction. This is not well explained by socioeconomic composition of areas or other dimensions of subjective well-being: positive affect, negative affect or meaning in life. Discussion: Increases in regional average of life satisfaction has unexpected distributional consequences for different aspects of well-being. Life satisfaction may be an unreliable indicator of severe ill-being.

ABSTRACT. We use the pooled World Value Survey latest wave data (2017-2022) to study the effect of urbanism on misanthropy (distrust and dislike/hatred of humankind). Our main research hypothesis is that urbanicity contributes to increased levels of misanthropy. We use ordinary least squares (OLS) to analyze the relationship between urbanicity and misanthropy around the world. Based on previous research examining the US only, we anticipate that misanthropy will be highest in cities with a population larger than several hundred thousand people. This study will test the "misanthopolis" hypothesis, that claims that the largest metropolitan areas around the world are misanthropic urban centers, where distrust and dislike for humankind abound.

ABSTRACT. In contemporary Western societies many citizens share the opinion that we are living in a state of “polycrisis”, which leads to increasingly pessimistic perceptions about the future. Recent Austrian case studies were able to demonstrate, that future pessimism is stronger among vulnerable groups who anticipate a deterioration of their own living conditions. Such survey-based insights have to be interpreted with caution though, as they often rely on single item measurements focusing on general worries about the future. Our contribution wants to expand on this and takes a more detailed look at specific recent global crises (such as military conflicts or the climate crisis) (so called “macro-worries”) which might have long-term and transnational consequences, as well as on developments that may influence the daily lives of people in a more direct way, such as loss of material security in the face of rapidly increasing living costs (so-called “micro-worries”). Based on data from the two most recent waves of the Social Survey Austria (2023 and 2024), our analyses address (1) differences in macro- and micro-worries over time, (2) the social determinants of both types of worries and (3) the impact of micro- and macro-worries on mental-wellbeing and life-satisfaction in the Austrian population. By using the method of structural equation modelling (SEM) our findings reveal that micro-worries are more pronounced among individuals with financial difficulties and lower education as well as individuals below the age of 30. Macro-Worries, on the other hand, are more dominant among people over the age of 64 and those who consider themselves more politically left-wing. While both, micro and macro worries are associated with increased negative affect, only micro-worries exert an influence on life-satisfaction. In sum, our research reveals that different types of worries represent important social indicators and exert a varying influence on different dimensions of well-being.

ABSTRACT. In this follow-up longitudinal study, we returned to 667 Israeli participants one year into the ongoing War of Iron Swords to investigate changes in global life evaluation (GLE) and the mechanisms underlying these changes. Building on our prior findings regarding status-quo bias (SQB) and emotional resilience, we introduced a novel measure of individuals’ efforts to improve their circumstances (e.g., health, finances, and social ties) during the war. Leveraging a moderated mediation model, we tested how prewar SQB (and SQB measured during the war) indirectly influenced GLE in the third assessment through these improvement efforts, and whether the severity of war-related adversity moderated these pathways. Results revealed a decline in GLE at this third time point relative to both baseline and wartime assessments, suggesting a cumulative impact of prolonged conflict on overall well-being. Additionally, lower SQB at both prewar and first wartime measurements was associated with higher levels of proactive behavior, which in turn predicted higher GLE. Importantly, no direct relationship between SQB and GLE emerged once improvement efforts were accounted for. Moreover, participants more severely affected by war-related disruptions demonstrated stronger links between these efforts and subsequent GLE, highlighting the moderating role of adversity. These findings reinforce our theory that individuals less inclined to maintain the status quo are more likely to engage in adaptive efforts that mitigate the long-term negative impact of prolonged national crises on overall well-being. Our study underscores the need for policy interventions that foster flexibility and encourage proactive problem-solving, thereby enhancing global life evaluation in the face of enduring societal challenges. "

ABSTRACT. Electoral research tends to assume that voting preferences are largely determined by elements like ideology, socio-economic position or electoral campaigns. The role of subjective well-being, however, is often overlooked in this line of research. In the electoral study that was conducted on the occassion of the Belgian elections of June 2024, we also included a subjective well-being question, and in the analysis we investigate to what extent this consideration has an independent effect on voting preferences. The results indicate that low levels of well-being are indeed significantly related to casting a radical vote. This effect remains significant, even controlling for more subjective indicators like income, job security, age and socio-economic status. These results indicate that a low level of subjective well-being might be an important element contributing to the general rise of radical voting (both radical-right as radical-left) in liberal democracies.

ABSTRACT. panelist in the roundtable "Can wellbeing value for money be inclusive and sustainable, or do we need multidimensional approaches?"

ABSTRACT. panelist in the roundtable "Can wellbeing value for money be inclusive and sustainable, or do we need multidimensional approaches?"

ABSTRACT. panelist in the roundtable "Can wellbeing value for money be inclusive and sustainable, or do we need multidimensional approaches?"

ABSTRACT. panelist in the roundtable "Can wellbeing value for money be inclusive and sustainable, or do we need multidimensional approaches?"