HAPPINESS AND DOMAIN SATISFACTION IN TAIWAN

ABSTRACT. Happiness and life satisfaction are two empirically correlated but conceptually different measures of well-being. As an emotional state, happiness is sensitive to sudden changes in mood, whilst satisfaction is regarded as a cog-nitive or judgmental state. Using estimations from two empirical models, the aim of this study is to examine the determinants of happiness and satisfaction amongst Taiwanese people in a number of life domains. First of all, we attempt to investi-gate the individual characteristics of happiness by using an ordered probit model. Secondly, using ordinary least squares, we include an individual’s value or attitude variables as determinants of the level of satisfaction with different life domains. Our results suggest that higher income is associated with a higher level of subjective well-being. Measures of comparison income are significantly negatively correlated with the reported level of happiness and job satisfaction, which supports the hypoth-esis that well-being depends on income relative to a reference group. Consistent with the results from other countries, married people report a higher degree of happiness and satisfaction, whilst the past experience of unemployment significantly reduces subjective well-being. There is little gender difference in happiness or satisfaction with different domains. Furthermore, individual’s personal values have strong effects on both marital satisfaction and job satisfaction. The findings of this paper confirm that the effects of personal characteristics are fundamentally different in terms of happiness and satisfaction with specific domains of life. KEY WORDS: happiness, domain satisfaction, marital satisfaction, job satisfaction, financial status, leisure time, comparison income