Showing papers in "Social Indicators Research in 1999"

A measure of subjective happiness: preliminary reliability and construct validation

Abstract: Using a ''subjectivist'' approach to the assessment of happiness, a new 4-item measure of global subjective happiness was developed and validated in 14 studies with a total of 2 732 participants. Data was collected in the United States from students on two college campuses and one high school campus, from community adults in two California cities, and from older adults. Students and community adults in Moscow, Russia also participated in this research. Results indicated that the Subjective Happiness Scale has high internal consistency, which was found to be stable across samples. Test-retest and self-peer correlations suggested good to excellent reliability, and construct validation studies of convergent and discriminant validity confirmed the use of this scale to measure the construct of subjective happiness. The rationale for developing a new measure of happiness, as well as advantages of this scale, are discussed.

Quality-of-life in individidualistic society: A comparison in 43 nations in the early 1990's

Abstract: In the process of modernization, western societies became more individualistic. Ever since there have been claims that this development will create an unlivable society. Humans would need a Gemeinschaft and would wither in Gesellschaft. This classic idea lives in present day 'communitarism' and inspires pleas for the strengthening of moral bonds and preserving the welfare state. This paper reports an empirical test of the claim that quality-of-life is poor in individualized society. It compares 43 nations in the early 1990's. Individualization is measured by three aspects: 1) moral appreciation of individualism, 2) opportunity to choose, and 3) capability to choose. Next overall individualization is measured by means of an expert-estimate. Quality-of-life in nations is measured by the citizen's subjective appreciation of life as assessed in representative surveys. The data show a clear positive relationship, the more individualized the nation, the more citizens enjoy their life. This suggests that the benefits of individualization are greater than its costs. Inspection of the scattergrams shows a linear relationship. There is no pattern of diminishing returns. This indicates that individualization has not yet passed its optimum. The relationship appears to be contingent to level of education and economic prosperity. Positive correlations appear only among the most knowledgeable and prosperous nations. This suggests that the misgivings about individualization apply more to the past than to the future.

Subjective well-being and social production functions

Abstract: Recent reviews of scientific work on subjective well-being (SWB) reveal disagreements in conceptualization, measurement, and explanation of the concept. We propose Social Production Function theory as a framework to resolve them. Social Production Function (SPF) theory integrates strengths of relevant psychological theories and economic consumer/household production theories, without their limitations (namely, tradeoffs between satisfaction of different needs are not in the first, and goals or needs are not in the second). SPF theory iden- tifies two ultimate goals that all humans seek to optimize (physical well-being and social well-being) and five instrumental goals by which they are achieved (stimulation, comfort, status, behavioural confirmation, affection). The core no- tion of SPF theory is that people choose and substitute instrumental goals so as to optimize the production of their well-being, subject to constraints in available means of production. SPF theory guides research measurement and explanatory models, and it integrates features of contemporary subjective well-being theories.

Influences and consequences of well-being among Australian young people: 1980–1995.

Abstract: This paper investigates the determinants and consequences of subjective well-being. Although there is an extensive literature on well-being there are few panel studies which measure well-being frequently and over a long time period. The Australian Youth in Transition panel data is used to examine several aspects of well-being: the influence of sociodemographic and labour market characteristics, the dynamics of well-being and its determinants; the isolation of aging, cohort and contextual effects, and the effects of well-being on marital status and labour market outcomes. Women and those married or in de facto relationships show higher levels of well-being. The effect of being in a de facto relationship is sensitive to age. The presence of children decreases subjective-well-being and again this effect is age-specific. Income and occupational statusalso influence well-being with income having consistent effects and status effects declining. The unemployed consistently show substantially lower levels of well-being. Contextual effects were identified, increases in the national level of unemployment decrease average well-being levels in all but the youngest cohort. Controlling for lagged effects, subjective well- being has substantial effects on the odds of being married and unemployed, smaller effects on income and age specific effects on being in a de facto relationship.

Health Benefits and Health Cost Savings Due to Pets: Preliminary Estimates from an Australian National Survey

Abstract: American, Australian and British studies have shown that pet dogs and cats confer health benefits on their owners. This paper reports results from the first national survey (N = 1011) estimating the magnitude of these benefits. The survey showed that dog and cat owners make fewer annual doctor visits and are less likely to be on medication for heart problems and sleeping difficulties than non-owners. An important public policy implication is that pet ownership probably reduces national health expenditure. By linking sample survey results to data on health expenditure, the paper proposes a method of estimating savings. A preliminary estimate of savings of $988 million is given for Australia for financial year 1994--95.

Testing Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: National Quality-of-Life Across Time

Abstract: Maslow's hierarchy-of-needs theory is used to predict development of Quality of Life (QOL) in countries over time. Previous data sets have not had sufficient power to test these development trends among countries. Therefore a new database was developed that includes annual quality of life time-series for 88 countries from 1960 to 1994, covering measures on all five of Maslow's need-levels. Results showed significant agreement with some of Maslow's predictions, including his sequence of need achievement, and parts of an S-shaped trajectory in QOL. However, his mechanism of growth – that countries must slow growth in one area to increase growth in another – was disconfirmed.

A Multimethod Investigation of the Multidimensionality of Children\'s Well-Being Reports: Discriminant Validity of Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem

Abstract: A total of 290 middle school students were administered the Self- Description Questionnaire-II (SDQ-II) and the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS). Three different approaches were employed to explore the discriminant validity of global self-esteem and global life satisfaction in children. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that children differentiate the well-being constructs. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis provided further support for the incremental validity of the life satrisfaction construct. Furthermore, global life satisfaction and global self-esteem scores demonstrated different correlates. Children's perception of their academic competence were more strongly related to their global self- esteem than their global life satisfaction whereas children's perceptions of the quality of their family relationships was the strongest correlate of their global life satisfaction. The findings were then replicated with a sample of 183 elementary school students (grades 3–5). Taken together, the findings provided strong support for the meaningfulness of the global life satisfaction construct with children as well as the multidimensionality of children's subjective well-being reports.

The ISEW: not an index of sustainable economic welfare

Abstract: L'A. porte son attention sur l'indice ISEW (Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare). Il se demande si cet indice constitue une alternative aux systemes de mesure de la richesse traditionnels qui reposent sur le calcul du PIB et du PNB. Il considere que ces deux derniers indicateurs ne permettent ni de mesurer la richesse ni d'evaluer la soutenabilite d'une economie parce qu'il ne permettent pas d'evaluer le travail domestique, les inegalites de revenus, les pertes economique liees a la degradation de l'environnement et parce qu'ils envisagent les depenses militaires comme une source de richesse. L'A. presente les differentes etudes realisees avec l'aide de l'indice ISEW. Il pose le probleme du fondement theorique de cet indicateur. Il estime que celui-ci fait intervenir certaines hypotheses arbitraires. Il releve un certaine nombre d'erreur de methode dans sa conception

Subjective Well-Being, Discrimination and Cultural Conflict: Iranians Living in The Netherlands

Abstract: This study focuses on subjective well-being of Iranian refugees in the Netherlands. Relations with perceived discrimination and cultural conflict with life satisfaction, and positive and negative affect were examined. Additionally, the mediating role of self-esteem, mastery and ethnic identity was studied as well as demographic variables. A path model showed two pathways leading to well-being. In a first path perceived discrimination led to higher ethnic identification which had a negative effect on mastery, which in turn led to lower well-being. In a second path, cultural conflict had an indirect effect on negative affect via self-esteem, and a direct effect on positive affect and life satisfaction. Legal status, level of education, lenght of residence and number of family members in the country had an independent effect on different aspects of the path model.

Effects of Group Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Program on Preventing Violent Crime in Washington, D.C.: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June--July 1993

Abstract: This paper reports the results of a prospective experiment in which a group of approximately 4,000 participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi assembled in Washington, DC, from June 7 to July 30, 1993 It was hypothesized that levels of violent crime in the District of Columbia would fall substantially during the Demonstration Project, as a result of the group's effect of increasing coherence and reducing stress in the collective consciousness of the District A 27-member Project Review Board comprising independent scientists and leading citizens approved the research protocol and monitored the research process Weekly crime data was derived from database records provided by the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (DCMPD), which are used in the FBI Uniform Crime Reports Statistical analysis considered the effect of weather variables, daylight, historical crime trends and annual patterns in the District of Columbia, as well as trends in neighboring cities Consistent with previous research, levels of homicides, rapes and assaults (HRA crimes) correlated with average weekly temperature Robberies approximately followed an annually recurring cycle Time series analysis of 1993 data, controlling for temperature, showed that HRA crimes dropped significantly during the Demonstration Project, corresponding with increases in the size of the group; the maximum decrease was 233% (p < 2 × 10−9) [246% using a longer baseline, with 1988--1993 data (p < 3 × 10−5)], coincident with the peak number of participants in the group during the final week of the assembly When the same period in each of the five previous years was examined, no significant decreases in HRA crimes were found Robberies did not decrease significantly However, a model that jointly estimated the effect of the Demonstration Project on both HRA crimes and robberies showed a significant reduction in violent crimes overall of 156% (p = 00008) Further analysis showed that the effect of the coherence-creating group on reducing HRA crimes could not be accounted for by additional police staffing The time series analysis for HRA crimes gave results that are highly robust to alternative model specifications, and showed that the effect of the group size was cumulative and persisted after the Demonstration Project ended Also, calculation of the steady state gain based on the time series model predicted that a permanent group of 4,000 coherence-creating experts in the District would have a long-term effect of reducing HRA crimes by 48%

An Assessment of the Measurement Properties of the Human Development Index

Abstract: One of the more important determinants of the competitiveness of a nation is the quality of its human capital The Human Development Index (HDI) is the most widely used yardstick of human development It measures human development for all the countries of the world, through the use of three factors – longevity, knowledge and GDP measured in purchasing power This paper evaluates HDI's contribution towards measuring the quality of the human capital component of a nation's competitiveness Two primary issues under study are the HDI's information properties vis-a-vis its components and its measurement properties as an index The primary conclusion of the study is that the HDI carries useful information about a country's current development, but not about the future level of development Hence, further refinements in its construction as well as additional theoretical support as a quantitative measure are needed

Public services and the quality of life

Abstract: This is a report of the results of a survey of citizen beliefs and attitudes about public services and the quality of life in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada in the summer of 1997. Information is provided about the perceived frequency with which various services were used, the perceived satisfaction and value for tax dollars spent on the services as well as on levels of government officials generally, preferences for the provision of more or fewer services and for spending relatively more or less revenue on different services, views about user-fees, and views about smoke-free public places and the likely impact of bylaw changes on people's behaviour. Using such information, we examined correlations among perceived satisfaction, perceived value for money, use, spending preferences and demand, and, using multiple regression analysis, explained 66% of the variance in life satisfaction scores, 57% of the variance in satisfaction with the quality of life scores and 37% of the variance in happiness scores. Applying LISREL 8.14, it was shown that a model in which our three global indicators were explained by 13 domain indicators was superior to a model in which the latter indicators were explained by the former, i.e., a Bottom-Up model was superior to a Top-Down model. A simple linear model was also used to explain 32%, 20% and 19%, respectively, of the variance in satisfaction with municipal, provincial and federal government officials.

Religiosity and Life Satisfaction Across the Life Course

Abstract: Scant attention has been paid to social catalysts of the increase in religiosity in the maturational and aging process. Using the 1988 Gallup Survey, this paper first explores four major measures of religiosity (personal devotion, participation in public ritual, divine interaction, and preference for public or privatized religiosity) for seven age groups. Next, the impact of these religiosity measures on satisfaction with life is assessed for each of the major age categories. In light of these findings, the authors move toward developing a theory of religiosity and life course.

Measuring well-being in The Netherlands: The SCP index from 1974 to 1997

Abstract: In 1974, the Netherlands Social and Cultural Planning Office developed an index to monitor and document living conditions over time: the LCI (Living Conditions Index). It is composed of indicators which reflect conditions in areas that are influenceable by government policy, such as housing, health, leisure activity, and ownership of consumer durables. Taken together, the indicators provide an objectified description of living conditions.

Density, Crowding, and Factors Intervening in Their Relationship: Evidence from a Hyper-dense Metropolis

Abstract: This paper, using survey data from 414 urban residents in Hong Kong, examines the effects of space, achieved privacy and satisfaction with living quarters on the perception of crowding. The results of this study suggest that occupants of spatial constrained dwellings do not necessarily feel crowded. While achieved privacy intervenes in the relationship between space and crowding, its effect is indirect and very moderate. Instead, the dissatisfaction with physical environment rather than with a quantity of space itself is a major cause of the feeling of crowdedness. These findings imply that architectural designs that meet the expectation of occupants may well alleviate feelings of crowdedness in situations of spatial constraint.

Political Democracy and the Physical Quality of Life: The Cross-National Evidence

Abstract: Why do some countries have a high quality of life? One important explanation is that political democracy fosters life quality. Proponents of this perspective argue that political democracy acts to center the public agenda on state actions that enhance life quality. The cross-national effects of democracy (and several alternative variables) on the physical quality of life were examined for 87 countries at three points in time: 1970, 1980, and 1990. Results indicate the existence of a strong positive relationship between democracy and life quality for all three time periods.

South Africa's ''Rainbow People'', National Pride and Happiness

Abstract: Since the first free elections were held in April 1994, South Africans are popularly known as the ''rainbow people''. The paper inquires whether South Africans who experienced pride in their nation in the first years of democracy also perceived a greater sense of subjective well-being. It is proposed that national pride in post-apartheid South Africa might be fused with or work through self-esteem to lift levels of happiness. The paper traces the history of the new integrating civil religion of the rainbow people and the acceptance of the rainbow as a political symbol of unity among the diverse people of South Africa immediately after the 1994 elections and two years later. The proposed link between national pride and happiness was explored with data from two independent national surveys, the 1995 South African World Values Survey conducted by Markinor and a June 1996 MarkData syndicated omnibus survey. The study found that the appeal of the rainbow as political symbol was inclusive of all groups in society and that feelings of national pride and support for the rainbow ideal were positively associated with subjective well-being. As indicated by intensity and frequency measures, the majority of South Africans were proud of their country and could name a national achievement that inspired pride. Better-off South Africans tended to be happier and more satisfied with life but less proud, while the poor were less happy but fiercely proud of their country. Results suggest that belief in South Africa's ''rainbow nation'' ideal may have assisted in boosting happiness during the transition to a stable democracy, thereby preventing alienation among the losers under the new political dispensation. Supporters of the ideal of the rainbow nation were more optimistic than others about the future of their country.

Lay Conceptions of Well-Being and Rules Used in Well-Being Judgments Among Young, Middle-Aged, and Elderly Adults

Abstract: The present study deals with lay conceptions of well-being and its main determinants, and the rules used by everyday people to assess the well-being of others based on various pieces of information. The results showed that (a) most proposed definitions of well-being refer to the family, the physical body, and acceptance of oneself and one's situation; (b) the factors with the greatest impact on judgments of the well-being of others are health, harmony with spouse, harmony with children, self-acceptance, positive relations, purpose in life, and personal growth; (c) the above findings apply to respondents of all ages; and (d) the information integration rule for estimating the level of the well-being is essentially additive.

Sleep Deficiency and Quality of Life of Shift Workers

Abstract: This paper is based on the results of a study designed to assess and compare the quantity and quality of sleep, health and well-being of morning and evening typed industrial shift workers consisting of a sample of 60 male workers, employed in a cigarette factory. The results showed that night shift is the most disruptive of all the shifts in terms of sleep deficiency and health complaints. The morningness and eveningness characteristics of the workers have significant impact on their quality and quantity of sleep. The shift systems, particularly afternoon and night shifts, disrupt workers' family and social lives. Reducing night shift and the adjusting the work schedule with the morningness and eveningness characteristics of the workers might improve their adaptability and tolerance to shift work, and quality of life.

Dimensions of Gender Occupational Differentiation in Segregation and Inequality: A Cross-National Analysis

Abstract: The present research: (a) distinguishes between measures of gender occupational segregation and measures of gender occupational inequality, and (b) examines whether occupational segregation and occupational inequality are differentially related to structural characteristics of national labor markets. Analysis of data from 56 nations shows that measures of nominal segregation are not equivalent to measures of hierarchical inequality. Nominal segregation seems to increase with industrialization and in the presence of service industries but decreases as female labor force participation increases. By contrast, occupational inequality seems to decrease with industrialization and in the presence of service industries but to increase as both female labor force participation and level of educational inequality rise. The data further demonstrate that nominal segregation and ordinal status inequality are interrelated. Where nominal segregation is high, women's relative representation in high status occupations tends to rise. We argue that occupational segregation should not be equated with occupational inequality, and that theoretical propositions regarding gender-occupational segregation may not be applicable to issues concerning occupational inequality. We obtain a better understanding of, and insight into the nature of gender-occupational differentiation by simultaneously considering these two dimensions of gender-occupational differentiation.

Unifying livability and comparison theory : Cross-national time-series analysis of life-satisfaction

Abstract: The two major theories of QOL judgment – livability and comparison theories – are tested. The first states that only absolute level of objective variables will affect QOL, whereas the second states that only differences in objective variables will. A 25-year, 8-nation database was developed that allows more powerful tests than previous research. Consistent with previous studies and with livability theory, absolute level of GDP/person had the largest effect on life-satisfaction. Contrary to previous research, a reliable effect was also found for differences in GDP/person and the consumer price index. The length of these effects is 9 or 10 quarters. That is, consumers take into account changes as far back as 2 or 2 1/2 years, in addition to their absolute level of GDP/person.

Measures of Optimal Centrality: Indicators of City Effect and Urban Overloading

Abstract: ''City-effect'' is the peculiar quality of large urban settlements enjoyed by their residents and users. It involves a direct access to special (''superior'') urban functions, opportunities and services. This is why it is a very much sought after object of individual and collective aspirations. Large cities concentrate city-effect and often act as powerful magnets in attracting commuters and new residents from surrounding areas, where city-effect is weaker. But when concentration goes beyond a certain threshold, overburdened cities pay for their city-effect in terms of decreasing liveability. Searching for optimal centrality, that is an acceptable trade-off between city effect and decreasing liveability, is among the aims of territorial planning. This paper illustrates a research on the measures of optimal centrality, where social indicators play a key methodological role. It was jointly carried out in four European countries. The indicator-building process is described, and a few points resulting from the study on the operational prerequisites for harmonising and standardising the proposed measures for territorial policies are also offered for reflection.

Measuring the Well-Beings of the Developing Countries: Achievement and Improvement Indices

Abstract: The paradigm of development in the recent days has been shifted from Per Capita Gross National Product (PCGNP) to Human Well-being. It has also been admitted broadly that PCGNP does not automatically transformed into human well-being. It has thus become common practice to use a range of socio-economic variables for measuring the human Well-being (quality of life) in a country. In order to measure the well-being of about 70 developing countries, this study widens the scope of the Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) introduced by Morris, by incorporating a number of social aspects of life. On the basis of these indicators, the achievements in the quality of life of these countries are analyzed in this study. An attempt is also made to compare the decadal improvements in their performances in respect of the quality of life over a period of 1960 to 1990. The study also attempts to analyze the relations between achievements and improvements of quality of life and achievements and improvements in terms of PCRGDP of the countries.

The European 'Welfare Mix': Institutional Configuration and Distributive Outcome in Sweden and the European Union. A Longitudinal and Comparative Perspective

Abstract: This paper explores the institutional configuration (the three welfare delivery systems: market, welfare state, family) and its distributional correlates (income inequality; poverty rates; inequality related to social cleavages such as social class, generation, gender, region and family). The analysis has a twofold perspective: comparative (comparing 14 EU member states) and longitudinal (comparing Sweden 1975--1995), using nations as statistical units. The European union appears to be divided in three distinct and homogeneous clusters: • a Nordic cluster (Sweden, Denmark, Finland) exhibiting large social expenses, high labour market participation and weak family ties. Its distributional features are low income inequality, poverty rates and class inequality, but high levels of inequality between generations; • a southern cluster (Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal) characterised by lower welfare provisions, low employment, but strong traditional families. Its distributional features are high levels of income inequality, poverty and class inequality, but low levels of generational inequality; • a central European cluster in intermediate position. UK joins the southern cluster with high levels of income inequality, poverty and class inequality.

An investigation of measures of modern and old-fashioned sexism

Abstract: Working from the Principle of Beneficence we make the case that there is a need for adequate measures of sexism in men and women. Swim, Aikin, Hall and Hunter (1995) suggest that modern sexism represents a constellation of beliefs in which individuals: (a) disavow women's present-day discrimination; (b) reject women's demands for political and economic power; and (c) disapprove of policies designed to promote gender equality. To assess this construct, Swim et al. (1995) developed the Modern Sexism Scale (MSS), and to date, few studies have assessed its reliability and factor structure. Using data from 187 Canadian participants, confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the unidimensionality of the MSS and Swim and associates' (1995) Old-Fashioned Sexism Scale (OFSS). Results do not support Swim et al.'s conceptualization of modern sexism as a unidimensional construct; however, the OFSS fit a unidimensional model. The implications of these findings are discussed.

A general theory for perceptual indicators of family life quality

Abstract: The paper presents Foa and Foa's Resource Theory (1974) that was used to develop a self-report, multidimensional measure of family well-being, an indicator of family life quality. Facet theory methods of sentence mapping provided an explicit way to explain how theoretical constructs were translated to operational measures, and a rationale for the use of multidimensional scaling analysis to verify the circular structure of resource classes proposed by the theory. Results of the analyses confirmed the theoretical propositions for a sample of 560 adults and indicated a better fit of the data for women's, compared to the men's model.

Mindfulness and Subjective Well-being in the Sustainability Movement: A Further Elaboration of Multiple Discrepancies Theory

Abstract: In a previous interpretation of multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), the authors operationalized mutiple discrepancies as gaps between respondents' values and their performance. Using a sample of back-to-the-landers from the larger sustainability movement, the first-stage of the data analysis (Jacob and Brinkerhoff, 1997) confirmed that multiple discrepancies between values and do have a significant impact on subjective well-being (SWB), but this initial analysis also demonstrated that there are intervening variables that can act as compensating factors to attenuate the influence of multiple discrepancies on SWB. In this, the second-stage of data analysis, the authors identify and further explore the interaction of phenomena that might serve as compensation variables in respondents' calculus of their SWB. The present study identifies two salient compensating factors: mindfulness (a calm, yet focused, engagement with the present, similar to a meditative experience), and a sense of an absence of time constraints. Operationalized as Mindfulness and Time for Self scales, these two interrelated variables explain, in multiple regression equations, the major share of variation in multiple measures of SWB. Nevertheless, the multiple discrepancies between values and performance are still significant, if secondary, factors in explaining variance in SWB for the sample of back-to-the- landers.

Gender Differences in the Perception of Genetic Engineering Applied to Human Reproduction

Abstract: A questionnaire-survey of public perception of the desirability, risks, and benefits associated with current and potential applications of genetic engineering techniques to manipulate the outcome of human reproduction was conducted on 111 male and 135 female respondents. The proportion (63%) of male respondents who hold a positive impression that genetic engineering is a socially beneficial field of scientific research was significantly higher than the corresponding proportion (46%) of female respondents (p = 0.008). Similarly, in comparing somatic (non-reproductive cells) and germ-line (reproductive cells) gene therapy, most males (58%) foresaw no detrimental impacts of somatic cell gene therapy, but most females (60%, including 49% who opted for case-by-case evaluation) disapprove of even this form of therapy (p = 0.04). Most people remain fearful of germ-line therapy, but significantly more men (23%) than women (16%) support the development of genetic engineering for manipulating human germ-line cells (p = 0.04). There are no significant differences between male and female respondents with respect to genetic manipulation to correct inborn errors of metabolism or fetal deformity. The results of this study support the view that women tend to be more cautious than men with respect to acceptance of novel genetically-based procedures aimed at altering pregnancy outcome and offspring phenotype. Gender-based educational programs regarding the human genome project and human genetic engineering may be warranted to promote concordant decision-making in family planning and counseling.

3-Decade Trend in Human Development Index in India and Its Major States

Abstract: Les AA. presentent un indice du developpement humain elabore a partir de donnees collectees dans les principaux Etats de l'Inde. Celui-ci a permis de comparer la situation de ces Etats sur le plan du PNB, de l'âge moyen des meres lors de la premiere naissance, des taux d'alphabetisation des adultes et des taux de scolarisation. Les AA. analysent les tendances specifiques du developpement humain de l'Inde entre 1971 et 1991.

The Top-Down/Bottom-Up Controversy from a Constructionist Approach. A Method for Measuring Top-Down Effects Applied to a Sample of Older People

Abstract: Two different theories, called bottom-up and top-down, were developed to understand the determinants of an individual's satisfaction. Experimental studies didn't provide unanimous results, and confirmed, to different extents, both theories. Aside from these classic theories, a constructionist approach was developed. The purposes of this study were to examine the top-down/bottom-up controversy from a constructionist point of view and to obtain a new method for measuring the top-down effects in different satisfaction judgements. In this approach, an individual's satisfaction is viewed as constructions, evoked by the specific question in its particular context, and made by people using cognitive strategies. This view implies that the correlation between satisfaction judgements may reflect the use of the same strategies, rather than a causal effect. From this point of view, the top-down and bottom-up effects, described by the classic theories, cannot be seen as a pattern of causal links among satisfaction domains; therefore we propose a reinterpretation of these concepts in which they refer to ways used by people to construct their satisfaction judgements. On these grounds, we developed a method to extract the weight of top-down effects from correlation coefficients between satisfaction judgements. Two hypotheses concerning the different weight of top-down processes in the different satisfaction judgements were subsequently developed.