Evidence for changes in population-level subjective well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic from 30 waves of representative panel data collected in Austria between March 2020 and March 2022

Oberndorfer, M. , Stolz, E. and Dorner, T. E. (2022) Evidence for changes in population-level subjective well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic from 30 waves of representative panel data collected in Austria between March 2020 and March 2022. Public Health, 212, pp. 84-88. (doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2022.09.004) (PMCID:PMC9472574)

Abstract

Objectives: This study was conducted to describe how population-level subjective well-being (SWB) evolved throughout the pandemic. Study design: Thirty waves of panel data representative of the Austrian population aged ≥14 years were collected between March 2020 and March 2022. Participants were quota sampled from a pre-existing online panel based on key demographics closely mirroring the Austrian resident population. Methods: We present wave-specific means of SWB throughout 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic next to the evolution of the pandemic (cases and deaths) and stringency of lockdown measures in Austria as well as estimate their bivariate correlations. Results: The analysed sample consisted of 3,293 participants contributing to a total of 46,168 observations. All components of SWB – negative affect, positive affect and life satisfaction – showed population-level fluctuation between March 2020 and March 2022. The magnitude of these changes was small. Population-level SWB correlated with the incidence rate of COVID-19 deaths (negative affect: r = 0.69, positive affect: r = −0.70, life satisfaction: r = −0.47), the Stringency Index (negative affect = 0.50, positive affect = −0.47, life satisfaction = −0.47) and less so with the incidence of COVID-19 cases (negative affect = 0.43, positive affect = −0.31, life satisfaction = −0.38). Conclusions: Population-level SWB fluctuated in accordance with rises and falls in COVID-19 cases and deaths as well as with the stringency of lockdown measures. This connection suggests that incidence of COVID-19 cases and deaths, as well as public health measures to contain the pandemic affect population-level SWB and could thereby impact population health and productivity.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Funding: The authors received no specific funding for conducting this study. M.O.‘s work is supported by the Marietta-Blau Scholarship (MPC-2021-00178; funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research). The data collection for the Austrian Corona Panel Project (ACPP) has been made possible by COVID-19 Rapid Response Grant EI-COV20-006 of the Wiener Wissenschafts-und Technologiefonds (WWTF) and financial support by the rectorate of the University of Vienna. Further funding by the Austrian Social Survey (SSÖ), the Vienna Chamber of Labour (Arbeiterkammer Wien) and the Federation of Austrian Industries (Industriellenvereinigung) is gratefully acknowledged. From October 2020, ACPP continues as a research project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (Grant P33907).
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Oberndorfer, Mr Moritz
• Authors: Oberndorfer, M., Stolz, E., and Dorner, T. E.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care
• Journal Name: Public Health
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0033-3506
• ISSN (Online): 1476-5616
• Published Online: 14 September 2022
• Data DOI: 10.11587/28KQNS