Our subjective well-being deserves policy attention too

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Our subjective well-being deserves policy attention too

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• GB Shaw on misery: The great George Bernard Shaw said that by being occupied all the time, one could avoid thing whether one is miserable or not! But is that the only way or reason to feel a sense of well-being? Many others have questioned objective measures, in real income terms.
• Subjective well-being: SWB measures are controversial, but some have offered good evidence for self-reported measures of well-being. There are two things - decision utility, and welfare utility. By offering data to people on what promotes well-being, people may do better.
• One study: In some Indian states, a SWB study was done which found that lower-caste people in rural north India considered themselves worse off than higher-caste people. It wasn't about poverty. 
• The IHDS: A detailed survey called "India Human Development Survey" (IHDS) was done in 2012, and report came in 2015.

1. Question asked was whether a person conidered his household doing better than in 2005?   (a narrowly focussed SWB study)
2. This question gets answers that are not just based on income or assets, but also on other factors.
3. Here come factors like age, gender, caste, health, schooling, social networks, crime.
4. Larger is the gap between aspirations and achievements, larger is the sense of loss of well-being.
5. So result was - 9.7% thought they were worse-off, 50.3% same, and 37.9% better off.

• Link with age: As expected, 25-50 yrs reported high SWB, then 50-60 sees a sharp fall, and beyond 80 there's a plunge. 
• Affluence: As expected again, higher quartiles are less worse off and more better off, compared to lower quartiles. Affluence is measured in four quartiles - least wealthy, moderately wealthy, wealthy and most wealthy. 
• Employment: If a family has more adult male workers (employed), probability of being worse off is low, and being better off is high. But with females workers, this link is much weaker, due to many restrictions on employment and wage discrimination.
• Caste angle: Caste hierarchy is not seen in well-being outcomes clearly. High castes are seen more linked with being worse off, and being just the smae, but not as much with being better off. Same is for Dalits! With Adivasis, it's the reverse (less likely to be worse off and just the same, and more likely to be better off). 
• Health assessment: Two indicators were used - whether there was some NCD (non communicable disease like diabetes or cancer) and whether someone was disabled. Those who had no NCD, those with NCDs were more worse off and less better off. Same for disabilities.
• Mass media exposure: Men and women exposed to mass media were less likely to be worse off and more likely to be better off. (compared to those who were not). Lesson - access to right information is useful for well-being.
• Message for policymaking: India needs a major macro stimulus. Healthcare has to be restructured to support healthy ageing, with more public sector role in primary healthcare. Strong rehabilitation programme for lonely elderly. More access to digitized information. Behaviour training to stop discrimination against women and lower castes. 

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