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Life Satisfaction and Education in South Africa: Investigating the Role of Attainment and the Likelihood of Education as a Positional Good

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  • Ferdi Botha

Abstract

This paper explores various dynamics in the relationship between life satisfaction and education in South Africa using the 2008 National Income Dynamics Survey. The results indicate a strong positive association between educational attainment and individual satisfaction with life, which is true in the overall sample and for men and women. This positive relationship also holds for Black and Coloured individuals, but is insignificant in the Asian and White samples. Evidence indicates that education is a positional good, in that people who have attained more than the mean level of education in their relevant cluster are significantly more satisfied with life compared to those possessing less than the mean education. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

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  • Ferdi Botha, 2014. "Life Satisfaction and Education in South Africa: Investigating the Role of Attainment and the Likelihood of Education as a Positional Good," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 555-578, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:118:y:2014:i:2:p:555-578
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-013-0452-2
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    2. Ana-Maria Zamfir & Adriana AnaMaria Davidescu & Cristina Mocanu, 2022. "Predictors of Economic Outcomes among Romanian Youth: The Influence of Education—An Empirical Approach Based on Elastic Net Regression," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, July.
    3. Jiachang Gao & Yuhan Wang & Mei Zhang & Zenghui Huo, 2022. "Group Heterogeneity of Rural Households’ Satisfaction with Good Life from the Perspective of Rural Revitalization—A Case Study from Zhejiang Province of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-15, April.
    4. Helena Ting & Martina Bozzola & Timothy Swanson, 2017. "Weather and income: effect on household saving and well-being in South Africa," CIES Research Paper series 49-2017, Centre for International Environmental Studies, The Graduate Institute.
    5. Iddisah Sulemana & Louis Doabil & Ebenezer Bugri Anarfo, 2019. "International Remittances and Subjective Wellbeing in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Micro-level Study," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 524-539, September.
    6. Kuo Zhang & Jipeng Pei & Shu Wang & Karlis Rokpelnis & Xiao Yu, 2022. "Life Satisfaction in China, 2010–2018: Trends and Unique Determinants," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 2311-2348, August.
    7. Iddisah Sulemana, 2015. "The Effect of Fear of Crime and Crime Victimization on Subjective Well-Being in Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 121(3), pages 849-872, April.
    8. Hannah C. Silver & Steven B. Caudill & Franklin G. Mixon Jr., 2017. "Human capital and life satisfaction in economic transition," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 25(2), pages 165-184, April.
    9. Hinks, Timothy, 2020. "Bribery, motivations for bribery and life satisfaction in transitional countries," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    10. Naiwei Chen & Ho-Chyuan Chen, 2021. "Religion, Marriage and Happiness – Evidence from Taiwan," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(1), pages 259-299, February.
    11. Aïda Solé-Auró & Mariona Lozano, 2019. "Inequalities in Longevity by Education Level in Spain: A Life Satisfaction Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 144(2), pages 729-744, July.
    12. Alessa K. Durst, 2021. "Education as a Positional Good? Evidence from the German Socio-Economic Panel," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 745-767, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Subjective well-being; Positional concerns; Education; South Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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