Socio-economic status moderates the relationship between values and subjective well-being among Chinese college students

Abstract

Personal values and socioeconomic status (SES) both influence adolescents’ subjective well-being, yet there is still a need to explore whether differences in values and SES have different impacts on one’s subjective well-being (SWB). This study examined the moderation effect of SES in the relationship between two values (self-improvement and collective responsibility) and SBW. A sample comprising 600 Chinese college students (23.40% boys, mean age = 21.21, SD = 1.56) were measured twice over the course of one year using the Chinese Adolescent Values Questionnaire and the Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire. Results showed that self-improvement value may promote SWB of students with a low SES, but this result was not seen in the students with a high SES. Meanwhile, collective responsibility value may promote SWB in students with a low SES, while it may reduce SWB in students with a high SES. Our findings suggested that self-improvement and collective responsibility values can help low SES students access resources and support, helping them overcome unfavorable situations. However, a different picture was shown for students with a high SES. In contrast to the low-SES students, these two values seemed to restrict the growth of students with a high SES, hampering their pursuit of their own goals and interests, which may ultimately diminish their SWB.