Life Satisfaction among Young Adults in Europe over the Past 20 Years Decreases, Rebounds, and Moderators

Ester Lucia Rizzi , UCLouvain
Hequn Wang, UCLouvain
Zeynep Zümer Batur, University of Antwerp
Dimitri Mortelmans, Universiteit Antwerpen

Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage marked by distinct challenges as well as a sense of optimism. This optimism may explain why young adults report higher levels of well-being than older adults. Little is known, however, about how the link between age and subjective well-being evolves with time, in particular during periods of crisis. Utilizing cross-sectional Eurobarometer data and longitudinal EU-SILC data, we examined life satisfaction across different age groups from 2004 to 2023. We focused on the 2008 Great Recession, the deepening of the crisis in 2012, the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020, and the Russia-Ukraine war since 2022. In our preliminary analysis of Eurobarometer data, we used linear regression. We showed that young people, in particular those aged 18-24 years old, report a higher level of life satisfaction than other age groups, confirming results from previous studies. However, we also showed that they are more affected by crises such as the Great Recession and the pandemic. Decreases and rebounds in life satisfaction for young adults varied according to welfare regimes, intergenerational co-residence, and trust. In the further development of this study, we will use the EU-SILC data and we will conduct a longitudinal analysis that will enable us to account for unobserved heterogeneity.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session P6. Health, Mortality, and Ageing 2