Wellbeing

Wellbeing is a popular concept in research and everyday life. Wellbeing understood in a broad sense covers objective living conditions as well as subjective aspects of wellbeing (see figure). The objective living conditions take account of all important areas of life, whereas subjective wellbeing refers to three dimensions of subjective perceptions of individual wellbeing. Wellbeing in a narrower sense means these subjective perceptions. FORS contributes to the research on subjective wellbeing by collecting data and authoring scientific articles. Furthermore, subjective wellbeing was the main topic of the Swiss Social Report 2016, which was edited by FORS.

Conceptional framework of wellbeing

Swiss Social Report 2016

FORS edited the Swiss Social Report 2016, which emphasises the subjective wellbeing: How satisfied are the Swiss with their social living conditions and their financial situation? Does religion still play a role in the search for a meaningful life? What impact do social developments such as the rise in divorce rates have on the wellbeing of the affected people? Does political participation make people happy? Are impoverished people less satisfied with life than the wealthy? Does increasing mobility in work and leisure time have a positive or negative effect on wellbeing? In addition to a selection of 75 indicators on these and other topics, the Social Report 2016 contains five analytically oriented in-depth articles that focus on subjective wellbeing and address the following topics: income and social contacts, dissociation from religion, wellbeing and poverty, political participation, as well as environment as a health factor.

Scientific publications from FORS in the field of subjective wellbeing

A selection of publications by FORS collaborators
Changes in subjective well-being and stress of older adults before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study in Switzerland. Valérie-Anne Ryser, Dawid Gondek, Marieke Voorpostel, 2024/07/06. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. Peer-reviewed. [DOI][Pmid][serval:BIB_1BA04EACBA55]

The COVID-19 pandemic and wellbeing in Switzerland-worse for young people? Gondek D., Vandecasteele L., Sánchez-Mira N., Steinmetz S., Mehmeti T., Voorpostel M., 2024/06/06. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 18 (1). Peer-reviewed. [DOI][WoS][Pmid][serval:BIB_76D61C250C65]

Life Dissatisfaction and the Right-Wing Populist Vote: Evidence from the European Social Survey. Lindholm Annika, Lutz Georg, Green Eva G. T., 2024/03/25. American Behavioral Scientist. [DOI][serval:BIB_50809CE93011]

Dettes et santé mentale : perspective de genre. Henchoz Caroline, Wernli Boris, Coste Tristan, 2024/03/20. SociologieS. Peer-reviewed. [URN][serval:BIB_37EB49FFE4BF]

Going beyond the single item: deriving and evaluating a composite subjective wellbeing measure in the Swiss Household Panel. Gondek Dawid, García Garzón Eduardo, Sánchez-Mira Nuria, Vandecasteele Leen, Steinmetz Stephanie, Voorpostel Marieke, 2024/01/06., FORS. [serval:BIB_78CC39F3BF4B]

Les familles patriciennes : entre persistence et effacement. Legentilhomme Geoffroy, Araujo Pedro, Benz Pierre, Debluë Claire-Lise, Mach André, Strebel Michael A., 2024. pp. 39-56 dans Legentilhomme Geoffroy, Araujo Pedro, Benz Pierre, Debluë Claire-Lise, Mach André, Strebel Michael A. (eds.) Élites et pouvoir dans les grandes villes suisses (1890-2020), Alphil. [URN][serval:BIB_024022465C71]

How loneliness increased among different age groups during COVID-19: a longitudinal analysis. Köster Fiona, Lipps Oliver, 2024/01/01. European Journal of Ageing, 21 (2). Peer-reviewed. [URN][DOI][Pmid][serval:BIB_4DB00CB2E221]

Employment and well-being after plant closure: Survey evidence from Switzerland on the mid and long run. Oesch Daniel, Köster Fiona, Studer Matthias, Baumann Isabel, 2023/12/01. Economic and Industrial Democracy. Peer-reviewed. [URN][DOI][serval:BIB_2A7FE0907890]

Des vies sociales bouleversées ? Les sociabilités en temps de pandémie dans les familles françaises, suédoises et suisses. Landour Julie, Barbier Pascal, Le Goff Jean-Marie, Chatot Myriam, Constantin Sandra, Lidegran Ida, Hultqvist Elizabeth, Braga Kestener Helena, 2023/08/16. Sociologie, 14 (2) pp. 223-240. Peer-reviewed. [serval:BIB_F9A40D8EC67E]

Interdependency of relationships in stepfamilies – Variation across children’s residence arrangements. Arat Ece, Voorpostel Marieke, Bernardi Laura, 2023/06/27. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40 (11) pp. 3656-3678. Peer-reviewed. [serval:BIB_B06ED2E46B00]

A dynamic perspective on the evolution of perceived stress levels in Switzerland: drivers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Klaas Hannah S., Kuhn Ursina, Ryser Valérie-Anne, Refle Jan-Erik, Tillmann Robin, Voorpostel Marieke, 2023/04/01. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 14 (2) pp. 240-274. Peer-reviewed. [URN][DOI][serval:BIB_0F0468CBDCDE]

How much his or her job loss influences fertility: A couple approach. Di Nallo Alessandro, Lipps Oliver, 2023/02/13. Journal of Marriage and Family. Peer-reviewed. [URN][DOI][WoS][serval:BIB_A3BAB2B3B263]

Egalité des sexes et bien-être: Se marier ou vivre en union libre dans le contexte Suisse ? Le Goff Jean-Marie, Ryser Valérie-Anne, 2023/02/08. pp. 47-74 dans Diversité des familles et bien-être en SuisseEnquête sur les familles et les générations 2013 et 2018, Seismo. URN][serval:BIB_2F0C9CEF1215]

Is the unhappy citizen a populist citizen? Linking subjective well-being to populist and nativist attitudes. Lindholm Annika, Rapeli Lauri, 2023/01/12. European Political Science Review 15 pp. 465-481. Peer-reviewed. [URN][DOI][serval:BIB_2F949513E7F8]

Subjective Well-Being, Family Dynamics and Vulnerability. Le Goff Jean-Marie, Ryser Valérie-Anne, Bernardi Laura, 2023. pp. 17-29 dans Withstanding Vulnerability throughout Adult Life, Springer Nature Singapore. [URN][DOI][serval:BIB_90954EC8E874]

How Family and Other Close Ties Shape Vulnerability Processes. Rossier Clémentine, Bernardi Laura, Baersywil Marie, Oris Michel, Sapin Marlène, Widmer Eric, 2023. pp. 153-167 dans Withstanding Vulnerability throughout Adult Life, Springer Nature Singapore. [DOI][serval:BIB_D62F8502DFB5]

How Personal Relationships Affect Employment Outcomes: On the Role of Social Networks and Family Obligations. Lalive Rafael, Oesch Daniel, Pellizzari Michele, 2023. pp. 49-66 dans Withstanding Vulnerability throughout Adult Life, Springer Nature Singapore.[URN][DOI][serval:BIB_42A7A01D2F20]

 

For all scientific publications by FORS collaborators see here.

The FORS Working Paper Series
2024-1
Going beyond the single item: deriving and evaluating a composite subjective wellbeing measure in the Swiss Household Panel
Dawid Gondek, Eduardo García Garzón, Núria Sánchez-Mira, Leen Vandecasteele, Stephanie Steinmetz, Marieke Voorpostel

2023-2
Political interest in Swiss probability-based political and social surveys
Nursel Alkoç

2023-1
Family Diversity: Updating a Household Typology in the Swiss Household Panel
Sandrine Morel

2021-3
Entropy measures of social mobility: The example of the intergenerational transmission of education
Georg P. Mueller

2021-2
Measurement of Sexism, Gender Identity, and Perceived Gender Discrimination: A Brief Overview and Suggestions for Short Scales
Jérôme Blondé, Lavinia Gianettoni, Dinah Gross and Edith Guilley

2021-1
Negative Voting Revisited: The 2020 US Presidential Election
Diego Garzia and Frederico Ferreira da Silva

2020-3
Sequentially mixing modes in an election survey
Oliver Lipps and Nicolas Pekari

Lipps, O. & Pekari, N. (2021). Sequentially mixing modes in an election survey. Survey Methods:
Insights from the Field. Retrieved from https://surveyinsights.org/?p=15281
DOI:10.13094/SMIF-2021-00003

2020-2
Introducing web in a refreshment sample of the Swiss Household Panel: Main findings from a pilot study
Marieke Voorpostel, Ursina Kuhn, Robin Tillmann, Gian-Andrea Monsch, Erika Antal, Valérie-Anne Ryser, Florence Lebert, Hannah S. Klaas and Nora Dasoki

2020-1
First results of the Swiss Household Panel – Covid-19 Study
Jan-Erik Refle, Marieke Voorpostel, Florence Lebert, Ursina Kuhn, Hannah S. Klaas, Valérie-Anne Ryser, Nora Dasoki, Gian-Andrea Monsch, Erika Antal and Robin Tillmann

2019-2
Effects of topic distribution and topic importance on interest and follow-up response
Oliver Lipps and Alexandre Pollien

2019-1
Item nonresponse and fuzzy logic
Georg P. Müller

2018-1
A research note on the potential impact of panel attrition on the relationship between variables
Marieke Voorpostel, Martina Rothenbühler, Caroline Roberts and Caroline Vandenplas

2017-2
Material deprivation from 1999 to 2013 in Switzerland: How index construction impacts on measured patterns of evolution
Pascale Gazareth and Katia Iglesias

2017-1
The impact of assortative mating on income inequality in Switzerland
Ursina Kuhn and Laura Ravazzini

2016-3
A methodological journey towards integrating a gender perspective into the measurement of violence against women and intimate partner violence
Julien Chevillard, Lavinia Gianettoni, and Véronique Jaquier

2016-2
Who are my people? Strengths and limitations of ego-centered network analysis: A case illustration from the Family tiMes survey
Gaëlle Aeby

2016-1
Does it take a village to raise a child? The buffering effect of relationships with relatives for parental life satisfaction
Małgorzata Mikucka and Ester Rizzi

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Małgorzata, M. & Rizzi, E. (2016). Does it take a village to raise a child? The buffering effect of relationships with relatives for parental life satisfaction. Demographic Research 34, 943-994.

2015-5
Psychometric properties of extra-short Big Five personality measures in multi-topic surveys: Documenting personality traits in the SHP and MOSAiCH
Valérie-Anne Ryser

2015-4
An evaluation of the CASP-12 scale used in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to measure Quality of Life among people aged 50+
Carmen Borrat-Besson, Valérie-Anne Ryser and Judite Gonçalves

2015-3
The happiness-parenthood link in a context of limited state support: The case of Switzerland
Ester Rizzi and Malgorzata Mikucka

2015-2
Big data for the social sciences
Brian Kleiner, Alexandra Stam and Nicolas Pekari

2015-1
Non-observation bias in an address-register-based CATI/CAPI mixed mode survey
Oliver Lipps

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Lipps, O. (2016). Non-observation bias in an address-register-based CATI/CAPI mixed mode survey.
Methods, Data, Analyses 10(1): 5-24. DOI: 10.12758/mda.2016.001.

2014-3
Robustness of items within and across surveys
Caroline Vandenplas and Oliver Lipps

2014-2
A Versatile tool? Applying the Cross-national Error Source Typology (CNEST) to triangulated pre-test data
Rory Fitzgerald, Lizzy Winstone and Yvette Prestage

2014-1
Learning, understanding, and motivation effects on “don’t know” in panel surveys
Oliver Lipps

2013-6
Boundaries against immigrants and their subjectively felt discrimination
Kerstin Duemmler

2013-05
A foreigner who doesn’t steal my job : The role of unemployment risk and values in attitudes towards foreigners
Marco Pecoraro and Didier Ruedin

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Pecoraro, M., & Ruedin, D. (2015). A foreigner who does not steal my job: The role of unemployment risk and values in attitudes toward equal opportunities. International Migration Review, 50(3), 628-666.

2013-04
The Swiss Rolling Cross-Section Study : Design, field work, and data quality
Georg Lutz, Thomas de Rocchi and Nicolas Pekari

2013-03
Mode and incentive effects in an individual register frame based Swiss election study
Oliver Lipps and Nicolas Pekari

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Lipps, O., & Pekari, N. (2016). Sample Representation and Substantive Outcomes Using Web With and Without Incentives Compared to Telephone in an Election Survey. Journal of Official Statistics, 32(1), 165-186.

2013-02
Coverage and nonresponse errors in an individual register frame based Swiss telephone election study
Oliver Lipps, Nicolas Pekari and Caroline Roberts

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Lipps, O., Pekari, N., & Roberts, C. (2015). Undercoverage and Nonresponse in a List-sampled Telephone Election Survey. Survey Research Methods, 9(2), 71-82.

2013-01
Using the Swiss population register for research into survey methodology
Caroline Roberts, Oliver Lipps and Kathrin Kissau

2012-03
Travail atypique et accès au troisième pilier en Suisse
Jenny Assi

2012-02
Parcours de formation : Analyse des trajectoires de formation des personnes résident en Suisse
Alexandre Pollien and Lorenzo Bonoli

2012-01
Satisficing and language proficiency 
Brian Kleiner, Oliver Lipps and Eliane Ferrez

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Kleiner, B., Lipps, O., & Ferrez, E. (2015). Language Ability and Motivation Among Foreigners in Survey Responding. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 3(3), 339-360.

2011-04
Advance translation in the 5th round of the European Social Survey (ESS)
Brita Dorer

2011-03
National minorities and their representation in Swiss surveys (II) : Which practices make a difference ? 
Francesco Laganà, Guy Elcheroth, Sandra Penic, Brian Kleiner, and Nicole Fasel

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Laganà, F., Elcheroth, G., Penic, S., Kleiner, B., & Fasel, N. (2013). National minorities and their representation in social surveys : which practices make a difference ? Quality & Quantity, 47(3), 1287-1314.

2011-02
National minorities and their representation in Swiss surveys (I) : Providing evidence and analysing causes for their under-representation
Oliver Lipps, Francesco Laganà, Alexandre Pollien, and Lavinia Gianettoni

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Lipps, O., Laganà, F., Pollien, A., & Gianettoni, L. (2013). Under-representation of foreign minorities in cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys in Switzerland. In Joan Font & Mónica Méndez (eds.) : Surveying Ethnic Minorities and Immigrant Populations : Methodological Challenges and Research Strategies : Amsterdam University Press : 241-267.

2011-01
Predictability of reasons for refusal in telephone surveys
Oliver Lipps

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Lipps, O. (2012). Using information from telephone panel surveys to predict reasons for refusal. Methoden – Daten – Analysen 6 (1) : 3-20.

2010-04
The determinants of fixed-term contracts in contemporary Switzerland
Spartaco Greppi, Mario Lucchini, Jenny Assi, and Christian Marazzi

2010-03
Dialect-driven adaptation : Experiences from Switzerland
Isabelle Renschler, Brian Kleiner, and Martina Bichsel

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Renschler, I., & Kleiner, B. (2013). Considering Dialect in Survey Research. Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique, 118(1), 51-59.

2010-02
Contact time optimization in panel surveys
Oliver Lipps

A different version of this paper has been published as :
Lipps, O. (2012). A Note on improving Contact Times in Panel Surveys. Field Methods 24 (1) : 95-111.

2010-01
Income imputation in the Swiss Household Panel 1999-2007
Oliver Lipps

2009-02
The electoral success of beauties and beasts
Georg Lutz

A different version of this paper has meanwhile been published as :
Lutz, G. (2010). The Electoral Success of Beauties and Beasts. Swiss Political Science Review, 16(3), 457-480.

2009-01
Innovations and new technologies in panel research
Annette Scherpenzeel

This working paper combines parts of three other publications by the same author :

Scherpenzeel, A. & Das, J.W.M. (2010). ’True’ longitudinal and probability-based internet panels : Evidence from the Netherlands. In : Das, J.W.M. ; Ester, P. ; Kaczmirek, L. (Ed.) Social and Behavioral Research and the Internet : Advances in Applied Methods and Research Strategies.

Scherpenzeel, A. & Bethlehem, J. (2010). How representative are online-panels ? Problems of coverage and selection and possible solutions. In Social Research and the Internet : Advances in applied Methods and New Research Strategies. Eds. M.Das, P.Ester & L.Kaczmirek. New York : Routlegde Academic.

Scherpenzeel, A., & Toepoel, V. (2012). Recruiting a Probability Sample for an Online Panel : Effects of Contact Mode, Incentives, and Information. Public Opinion Quarterly, 76(3), 470-490.

Data on subjective wellbeing is available within the following surveys managed by FORS:

For a list of available data on subjective wellbeing in Switzerland see here.