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A Global Decline in Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being: a Comparative Study Exploring Patterns of Change in the Life Satisfaction of 15-Year-Old Students in 46 Countries

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  • Jose Marquez

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Emily Long

    (University of Glasgow)

Abstract

There is a growing body of research that demonstrates declines in subjective well-being and increases in mental health problems among children and young people in recent decades. However, there is little comparative research examining changes in adolescents’ life satisfaction (LS) across a large number of countries, and critically, how this differs across sociodemographic groups. This study addresses this question by investigating changes in the LS of 15-year-old students between 2015 and 2018, with particular attention given to differences by gender, socio-economic status, immigrant background and urbanity. Data for this study come from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Due to the skewed nature of LS scale variables, the current study includes both mean levels of LS in a 0 to 10 scale, and the proportion of students reporting low LS (5 points or less). Linear regression models were used. Results demonstrate a global decline in mean levels of LS in 39 out of the 46 countries. In most countries, mean LS declined more among girls than among boys. Mean LS declined more, and the proportion of students reporting low LS increased more, among non-immigrant students and those of higher SES in the majority of countries. Findings regarding rural or urban communities were mixed. We advise that heterogeneity across all sociodemographic groups needs to be accounted for in public policy efforts to increase LS among young people.

Suggested Citation

  • Jose Marquez & Emily Long, 2021. "A Global Decline in Adolescents’ Subjective Well-Being: a Comparative Study Exploring Patterns of Change in the Life Satisfaction of 15-Year-Old Students in 46 Countries," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(3), pages 1251-1292, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:chinre:v:14:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s12187-020-09788-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s12187-020-09788-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thomas Potrebny & Nora Wiium & Margrethe Moss-Iversen Lundegård, 2017. "Temporal trends in adolescents’ self-reported psychosomatic health complaints from 1980-2016: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(11), pages 1-24, November.
    2. Thomas Potrebny & Nora Wiium & Anne Haugstvedt & Ragnhild Sollesnes & Torbjørn Torsheim & Bente Wold & Frode Thuen, 2019. "Health complaints among adolescents in Norway: A twenty-year perspective on trends," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, January.
    3. April K. Clark & Michael Clark & Marie A. Eisenstein, 2014. "Stability and Change," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(1), pages 21582440145, March.
    4. Ed Diener & Shigehiro Oishi & Louis Tay, 2018. "Advances in subjective well-being research," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 2(4), pages 253-260, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Robert Rudolf & Dirk Bethmann, 2023. "The Paradox of Wealthy Nations’ Low Adolescent Life Satisfaction," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 79-105, January.
    2. Bodil Elisabeth Valstad Aasan & Monica Lillefjell & Steinar Krokstad & Mari Sylte & Erik Reidar Sund, 2023. "The Relative Importance of Family, School, and Leisure Activities for the Mental Wellbeing of Adolescents: The Young-HUNT Study in Norway," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-12, April.
    3. Faming Wang & Ronnel B. King & Shing On Leung, 2022. "Beating the odds: Identifying the top predictors of resilience among Hong Kong students," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(5), pages 1921-1944, October.
    4. Yang, Liu & Luo, Fang & Huang, Meiwei & Gao, Ting & Chen, Chuansheng & Ren, Ping, 2023. "Class cohesion and teacher support moderate the relationship between parental behavioral control and subjective well-being among adolescents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    5. Yufeng Li & Esther Sui-Chu Ho, 2024. "What does PISA Tell Us about the Paradoxes of Students’ Well-Being and their Academic Competencies in Mainland China?," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 17(4), pages 1443-1469, August.
    6. Emilly Cavalheiro Esidio & Marco Túlio Aniceto França & Gustavo Saraiva Frio, 2023. "Differences between genders in the subjective well-being of students participating in PISA 2018," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(4), pages 1781-1809, August.

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