The Effects of Age and Culture on Subjective Well-Being : A Case Study in the Eastern Townships

The authors present a study of diachronous ratings of subjective well-being (SWB), modeled on research undertaken by Staudinger, Bluck & Herzberg (2003). In addition, they were interested in determining the effects of culture and context (where one lives) on SWB ratings. To gage these effects, the authors included the factor of mother tongue and altered the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire by adding a question concerning expected well-being in Quebec. They asked 350 Anglophones and Francophones from the Eastern Townships, aged 18 to 95, to rate their SWB in the past, present, future, and future ‘in Quebec’. Their results concerning the effects of chronological age on diachronistic SWB ratings followed the patterns of previous research: young people (aged 18–38) rate past SWB lower than present SWB and future SWB much higher; middle-aged people (aged 39–64) rate their SWB the same regardless of time; And the elderly (67–95) rated past SWB higher than the present and their future SWB much lower. The authors found no differences between Anglophones or Francophones. The authors maintain that their further analysis revealed the disturbing finding that the oldest participants rated their current SWB significantly lower than the other two age groups. In the second half of their study they found that by simply asking Francophones and Anglophones to rate their SWB in the future – first unspecified as to location, and then in a future ‘if they stay in Quebec’ – produced different response patterns. The authors found that both future SWB ratings were the same for Francophones, indicating that the questions were simply redundant. The Anglophones, on the other hand, rated their future SWB in Quebec consistently lower than an unspecified future.

Journal of Eastern Townships Studies / Revue d'études des Cantons-de-l'Est

No. 32-33

53-72

Spring-Fall 2008

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