Relative income, absolute income and the life satisfaction of older adults: do retirees differ from the non-retired?
Authors: Umar M. A. Boodoo, Rafael Gomez, and Morley Gunderson
Overview
Abstract (English)
We examine life-satisfaction of older adults using a representative sample of Canadian individuals aged 45+. Our findings confirm a long line of employment relations research on the importance of ‘relational concerns’ in that: (i) income relative to the average for a given person’s gender, age, region and marital status (relative income) matters more in improving life satisfaction as a whole than does absolute personal income; (ii) the relationship between relative income and happiness is much stronger for the non-retired than retired persons, likely reflecting the importance of comparisons among peers at the workplace; and (3) absolute personal income does have a small positive relationship with life satisfaction but only for retirees and not for the non-retired.
Abstract (French)
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Details
Type | Journal article |
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Author | Umar M. A. Boodoo, Rafael Gomez, and Morley Gunderson |
Publication Year | 2014 |
Title | Relative income, absolute income and the life satisfaction of older adults: do retirees differ from the non-retired? |
Volume | 45 |
Journal Name | Industrial Relations Journal |
Number | 4 |
Pages | 281-299 |
Publication Language | English |
- Umar M. A. Boodoo
- Umar M. A. Boodoo, Rafael Gomez, and Morley Gunderson
- Relative income, absolute income and the life satisfaction of older adults: do retirees differ from the non-retired?
- Industrial Relations Journal
- 45
- 2014
- 4
- 281-299