SATISFACTION AND SOCIAL POSITION
Within nation differences, compared across nations

Ruut Veenhoven
In: Saris, W.E., Veenhoven, R., Scherpenzeel, A.C. & Bunting, B. (eds) 'A comparative study of satisfaction with life in Europe', Eotvos University Press, 1995, Budapest, Hungary, ISBN 963-463-081-2, chapter 16, pp 254-262

ABSTRACT
Within countries, there is little relationship between individual satisfaction and social position as measured by gender, age, income and education. This well-known pattern of non-difference remains after correction for measurement error. The pattern is quite similar across nations.
The findings do not fit comparison-theory very well, but they do match folklore-theory. Interpretation in terms of livability-theory suggests that these positional differences do not involve much variation in net life-chances in the societies at hand here.

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