Non-Formal Education and Life Satisfaction

Li Kathrin Kaja Rupieper () and Stephan Thomsen ()
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Li Kathrin Kaja Rupieper: Leibniz University Hannover
Stephan Thomsen: Leibniz University of Hannover

No 18474, IZA Discussion Papers from IZA Network @ LISER

Abstract: Lifelong learning is increasingly recognized as important for individual well-being, but causal evidence on this relationship remains scarce. This paper evaluates the effects of non-formal adult education on life satisfaction by exploiting the substantial expansion of courses at East German Volkshochschulen (VHS) following reunification. Combining individual well-being data from SOEP with administrative VHS data, we use quasi-random variation in individuals’ exposure to courses to identify intention-to-treat effects. Estimation results denote small but significant and robust effects of VHS education on life satisfaction. Calculations of average treatment-on-the-treated effects suggest considerably stronger impacts among actual course participants. We furthermore reveal effect heterogeneity across demographic groups. In contrast to formal education, which is commonly found to raise aspirations, we find no corresponding effect of VHS education. Overall, our findings suggest that non-formal courses and training provide an easily accessible, low-cost means of adaptation in times of transformation.

Keywords: Volkshochschule; adult education; transformation; SOEP; Germany; subjective well-being; natural experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H52 I26 I31 N34 P29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03
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