Life Satisfaction in Later Life: The Interplay of Marital Condition and Income among Elderly Koreans

Sung-Ha Lee, Jiyoun Lee and Incheol Choi
Additional contact information
Sung-Ha Lee: Center for Happiness Studies, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Jiyoun Lee: Department of Psychology, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Incheol Choi: Center for Happiness Studies, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-8

Abstract: Although both marital status and economic conditions significantly contribute to life satisfaction in later life, the effect of their interaction (or moderating) on life satisfaction has been understudied. Our goal was to examine whether marriage buffers the negative consequences of low income among elderly people. Using two large national survey datasets, the Korean Community Health Survey (n = 126,936) and the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) (n = 5687), we examined the relationship between household income, marital condition (marital status and marital satisfaction), and life satisfaction in Korean adults over 50. We found that increases in life satisfaction among individuals aged 50 and over were associated with higher income, marital status, and spousal satisfaction. We also determined that the beneficial effects of marriage, as well as marital quality, on life satisfaction are stronger in men. Moreover, separated/divorced status, but not bereavement or single status, moderated the effects of household income, such that the adverse effects of poverty were particularly pronounced among those who were separated/divorced. Furthermore, spousal satisfaction also moderated the effect of household income on life satisfaction among married men, indicating that marital satisfaction amplifies the effect of favorable economic conditions on life satisfaction. Because economic condition and relationship status are two key determinants of life satisfaction, understanding their interactions can improve overall predictions of life satisfaction.

Keywords: Korean elderly; household income; life satisfaction; marital status; spousal satisfaction; interaction effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/8/3483/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/8/3483/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:8:p:3483-:d:349898

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().