Subjective wellbeing during the COVID 19 pandemic in Austria - A quantitative analysis of group differences and longitudinal dynamics

Beschreibung

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the lives of large population segments. Studies indicate, for example, that the rapid changes in the spheres of work and family life have especially affected individuals in the low-wage sector, women and single mothers, as well as healthcare workers (Escudero-Castillo, Mato-Díau & Rodriguez-Alvarez 2021; Nieuwenhuis & Yerkes 2021; Hummel et al. 2021; Möhring et al. 2021; Nivakoski & Mascherini 2021). Thus, it becomes evident, that some have been affected by strains, decreases in wellbeing and deteriorations in mental health more severely than others and that responses to the various challenges during the pandemic may have varied between social groups (Gibson et al. 2021; Kuhn et al. 2021; Shevlin et al. 2021). These findings are mostly in line with theoretical perspectives from wellbeing research and the sociology of health such as sociological stress-research, which centers around the idea that vulnerable groups are exposed to a higher number of social stressors and possess fewer stress-mediating resources than non-vulnerable groups (Pearlin 1989; Aneshensel 2009; Thoits 2010).

Our quantitative study takes a closer look at subjective wellbeing, and its determinants among the Austrian residential population between 2020 and 2022 using Data from the Austrian version of the “Values in Crisis” survey (Aschauer et al. 2021). In Austria, each of the three waves reached a sample size of about 2000, of whom a total of 747 individuals have participated in all three waves of the survey.

We address three central issues: (1) Our first goal is to show how various social groups (e.g., unemployed, COVID-19 risk groups, individuals who are living alone, …) differ from each other in terms of subjective wellbeing and life-satisfaction and whether differences in time-specific dynamics can be observed. (2) We analyze the influence of specific social and material resources (e.g., social contacts, income), as well as perceptions of the future on wellbeing and life-satisfaction at different points in time by applying structural equation modeling. In addition, we hypothesize that the effect of these specific resources on wellbeing outcomes is mediated by their subjective appraisal. (3) Using longitudinal multilevel models, we aim to show how predictors of wellbeing and life satisfaction vary between social groups and over time.

Zeitraum	23 Aug. 2023
Ereignistitel	ISQOLS 2023 : TOWARDS A PEOPLE-FIRST ECONOMY AND SOCIETY: A WORLD TO WIN
Veranstaltungstyp	Konferenz
Ort	Rotterdam, NiederlandeAuf Karte anzeigen
Bekanntheitsgrad	International