Lingnan University study finds positive linkage between education and life satisfaction

HONG KONG, Aug. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Education has long been advocated as the way to a better life and a better society, but little is known about the relationship between education and happiness in considering educational expansion and skills development. A recent study conducted by Lingnan University (LU) in Hong Kong confirms a positive association between educational attainment and life satisfaction at the individual level, however this linkage is undermined by the larger degree of skills diffusion at the societal level, and is no longer confirmed once labour market outcomes are accounted for. On the other hand, societal skills diffusion as such is positively associated with life satisfaction.

To analyse this relationship between education and happiness, the study used European Social Survey (ESS) data for more than 48,000 individuals in 24 countries (Figure 1) and several Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) databases. Specific indicators include education, socio-economic status, life satisfaction and other attributes in conjunction with societal-level factors such as macroeconomy, income inequality, life expectancy, safety, and civic engagement.

The results show there was a positive association between educational attainment and life satisfaction at the individual level. However, once labour market outcomes and especially income levels are accounted for, this positive relationship disappears. Also, the favourable link between education and life satisfaction is undermined by societal skills diffusion rather than educational expansion, so that the advantage of a tertiary degree tends to be smaller in societies where the proportion of highly skilled human resources is relatively large. In addition, the study indicates that skills diffusion promotes life satisfaction at the societal level, and skilled societies are more likely than less skilled ones to show greater levels of subjective well-being (SWB) (Figure 2).

"In highly skilled societies, educated individuals face the diminishing economic value of their credentials, and consequently they may find it more difficult to maintain relatively better levels of life satisfaction compared to their less-educated counterparts," Prof Satoshi Araki, Assistant Professor of Department of Sociology and Social Policy of Lingnan University in Hong Kongexplained, adding that although individual educational qualifications are not necessarily the key to SWB, when looking at labour market outcomes, the accumulation of skilled human resources in a given society collectively enhances general satisfaction, possibly through the meritocratic process of rewards allocation.

"Skills diffusion may enable societies to allocate rewards on the basis of merit rather than socio-economic background or nominal educational credentials, making people feel more satisfied with, or at least encouraging them to accept the current status," Prof Araki said.

These findings were published in the Journal of Happiness Studies. (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-021-00416-y)

Figure 1. Target countries and the number of respondents

Country	Respondents
Austria	2,161
Belgium	1,861
Czech Republic	1,844
Denmark	1,620
Estonia	2,353
Finland	2,176
France	1,960
Germany	2,910
Greece	2,694
Hungary	1,964
Ireland	2,575
Israel	2,346
Italy	887
Lithuania	2,041
Netherlands	1,824
Norway	1,615
Poland	1,863
Russian Federation	2,365
Slovak republic	1,792
Slovenia	1,234
Spain	1,854
Sweden	1,805
Turkey	2,282
United Kingdom	2,221
Total	48,247

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