How Stable are Life Domain Evaluations over Time? A 20-Year Study

Mohsen Joshanloo ()
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Mohsen Joshanloo: Keimyung University

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2023, vol. 24, issue 2, No 17, 812 pages

Abstract: Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the stability of satisfaction with eight domains of life as well as satisfaction with life in general. The study used a nationally representative Australian sample collected during 20 years between 2001 and 2020 (N = 33,341). Using the Multi-Trait-Multi-State model, the total variance in each item was partitioned into three components: common consistency (proportion of variance attributable to stable influences), occasion specificity (proportion of variance attributable to situational influences or person-situation interactions), and measurement error (proportion of variance attributable to random and nonsystematic influences). The consistency, specificity, and error estimates for the nine items averaged about 48%, 11%, and 41%, respectively. Satisfaction with health, financial situation, and general life was more stable than variable, whereas the other domains were more variable than stable. The most stable item was satisfaction with health and the least stable was satisfaction with the home in which one lives. On average, domain satisfaction was less stable than general life satisfaction. Satisfaction with housing, safety, and health were the best predictors of general life satisfaction. A supplementary analysis showed that life evaluations were less stable in young adulthood than in older age.

Keywords: Life satisfaction; Domain satisfaction; Stability; Latent state-trait model; HILDA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-023-00618-6

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