Cross-cultural Comparison of Subjective Well-being (SWB) Predictors Among the Elderly: The Difference Between China and the Other Western Countries

Abstract

The current study has investigated the similarities and differences in the predictive effects of subjective well-being (SWB) predictors among the elderly in a range of countries, specifically between China and western countries. The results from a total of 12 studies across more than 20 countries have been compared. Among self-related predictors, the predictive effects of gender, educational level, status of employment, and personality vary across cultures, while age, objective health, and income level do not; among others-related predictors, social support and marital status vary across cultures; among environment-related predictors, household varies across cultures. The difference between collectivist and individualist cultures could reasonably explain all differences across cultures to a certain degree. Future investigations should employ a statistical method for comparison and explore the reasons of the cross-cultural differences in-depth.