Personal Wellbeing Index in a National Cohort of 87,134 Thai Adults

Social Indicators Research, Vol. 98, pp. 201-215, 2010

15 Pages Posted: 1 Nov 2010 Last revised: 12 Aug 2014

See all articles by Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan

Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan

Australian National University (ANU)

Sam-Ang Seubsman

Australian National University (ANU)

S. Khamman

Australian National University (ANU)

Lynette L. Y. Lim

Australian National University (ANU) - Main

Adrian Sleigh

Australian National University (ANU) - National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health

Thai Cohort Study Team

Independent

Date Written: November 28, 2009

Abstract

Satisfaction with life correlates with other measures of subjective wellbeing and correlates predictably with individual characteristics and overall health. Social indicators and subjective wellbeing measures are necessary to evaluate a society and can be used to produce national indicators of happiness. This study therefore aims to help close the gap in wellbeing data for Thailand. The specific aims are to: (1) calculate the Thai PWI and domain scores using a large scale sample; (2) examine the level of life satisfaction of Thais when compared to international standards; (3) examine the Thai PWI and domains in relation to demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics. Our report derives from the findings on the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) in a large national cohort of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University adult students living all over Thailand (n = 87,134). This Thai cohort had an overall PWI of 70.0 on a scale from 0 to 100 which is consistent with Western populations. The ‘spirituality and religion’ domain had the highest average score. ‘Standard of living’, ‘future security’ and ‘achievement in life’ made the largest contribution to overall ‘satisfaction in life as a whole’. These domains also show a positive trend with increasing age, being married, higher income, more education, more household assets, and rural residence. The PWI will be an important tool for policymakers to understand the subjective wellbeing of population groups especially as Thailand is undergoing a political and economic transition.

Keywords: Subjective wellbeing, Personal wellbeing index, Life satisfaction, Open university cohort, Thailand

JEL Classification: I00, I1, I10

Suggested Citation

Yiengprugsawan, Vasoontara and Seubsman, Sam-Ang and Khamman, S. and Lim, Lynette L. Y. and Sleigh, Adrian and Team, Thai Cohort Study, Personal Wellbeing Index in a National Cohort of 87,134 Thai Adults (November 28, 2009). Social Indicators Research, Vol. 98, pp. 201-215, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1535118

Vasoontara Yiengprugsawan (Contact Author)

Australian National University (ANU) ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

Sam-Ang Seubsman

Australian National University (ANU) ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

S. Khamman

Australian National University (ANU)

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

Lynette L. Y. Lim

Australian National University (ANU) - Main ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

Adrian Sleigh

Australian National University (ANU) - National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Australia

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