Demographic group differences in domain-specific well-being

Abstract

Although research is available on group differences for overall well-being, little research has explored group differences for domain-specific well-being. Therefore, we examined differences in overall and domain-specific well-being across several demographic variables: gender, income, marital status, age, ethnicity, education level, employment status, occupation, and housing tenure. We analyzed data from 1,087 participants on the I COPPE Scale, which provides scores for overall, interpersonal, community, occupational, physical, psychological, and economic well-being. Group differences were found across multiple domains with small to large effect sizes. While there were no gender differences, compared with those in the same demographic variable, higher income earners, married, elderly, Hispanic, educated, white-collar professionals, and homeowners reported the highest levels of well-being. The unemployed reported the lowest level of well-being on all but one of the domains-the interpersonal domain. Findings suggest people report different levels of well-being based on their unique demographic and life circumstances.