The Pursuit of Subjective Well-Being Through Financial Well-Being, Relationship Quality, and Spiritual Well-Being: A Configuration Approach with Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

A. F. M. Jalal Ahamed ()
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A. F. M. Jalal Ahamed: University of Skövde

Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 2025, vol. 46, issue 3, No 10, 784-801

Abstract: Abstract Individuals’ subjective well-being is influenced by their financial well-being, family relationship quality, spiritual well-being, gender, and age. However, our knowledge of potential associations between these factors is limited, especially in non-western developing countries. Further, human thinking’s complexity, interconnectedness, and asymmetry fit nicely with subjective well-being conceptualizations. Therefore, this research is one of the very first studies from a typical Asian country that conceptualizes subjective well-being asymmetrically. The primary objective of this study was to determine which combinations of these factors resulted in higher or lower subjective well-being. We used a self-administered questionnaire to survey 250 married working people in Bangladesh’s capital city. The factor combinations are identified with a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Despite not finding any necessary condition for high or low subjective well-being, the analysis identifies two equifinal combinations of high subjective well-being and four combinations of low subjective well-being. In Asian cultures, where family bonds and spiritual well-being are feared to be declining, the combination of identified configurations re-emphasizes the importance of family relationship quality and spiritual well-being. Using a configurational approach, the findings contribute to the literature on subjective well-being and family relationships by explaining how different combinations of factors determine an individual's well-being. Additionally, this has important implications for policymakers and society as a whole.

Keywords: Happiness; Asymmetric analysis; Non-western countries; Family; fsQCA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10834-024-09968-6

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