Going beyond the single item: deriving and evaluating a composite subjective wellbeing measure in the Swiss Household Panel

[VIDEO PUBLIQUE – Visible pour toutes et tous]

Abstract:

Researchers using the Swiss Household Panel have been inconsistent in their choice and use of wellbeing indicators, making comparability of findings across studies difficult. 

In the study presented, our aim was to derive an aggregate measure that maximises the SHP’s potential to examine multiple dimensions of wellbeing and examine its validity and reliability. This will help researchers to make more informed decisions when using wellbeing measures in the SHP. 

This study was theoretically guided by the seminal work of Ed Diener on subjective wellbeing. Due to the availability of the measures over time, we focused on affect (emotional measures) and life satisfaction (cognitive measures). 

We assessed the factorial structure and internal reliability of the wellbeing indicators available in the SHP and tested their measurement invariance across age groups, periods, gender, questionnaire languages, and survey modes. We demonstrated that combining single items in the SHP can derive a psychometrically robust wellbeing measure.

Speaker:

Dawid Gondek, Senior researcher, FORS (the Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences) 

Dawid Gondek works on the CovidGen project that examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wellbeing of young people. He completed his PhD in quantitative social science at University College London in 2020. 

His interests are in population mental health and wellbeing from the life course perspective. His research focuses on better understanding generational and life course trends of mental health, their determinants and consequences.

Date: 25/02/2025

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