Page 66 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 4

CPS2128 Wlodzimierz Okrasa et al.

Subjective and community wellbeing interaction
in multilevel spatial modelling framework
Wlodzimierz Okrasa, Dominik Rozkrut
Statistic Poland

Abstract
Analyzing the cross-level interaction between individual and community well-
being requires joint involvement of both 'vertical' and 'horizontal'
perspectives. While multilevel modelling separates the effects resulting from
personal characteristics from those resulting from community features,
accounting for spatial variation and geographic membership prove that space
and place matter too. To this aim, the explicitly spatial multilevel model is
developed that allows to identify both types of effects (space and place-
related) using the hierarchical (nested) data structure, with the lowest level
administrative areas (NUTS5 units/ Nomenclature of Units for Statistical
Purposes), communes/gminas) as the aggregate-level context for its
members/residents. There are two kinds of well-being measures used in the
ensuing analysis: individual (subjective) well-being measure derived from the
nation-wide Time Use Survey data, replaced occasionally by 'life satisfaction'
type of selfreported measures, and multidimensional index of local
deprivation composed of eleven domain-scales. An empirical application of
the multilevel spatial modelling (which constitutes the major portion of the
remaining part of the paper) is preceded by searching for main factors and
auxiliary covariates affecting individual (subjective) well-being, while looking
after the issue of endogeneity. When expressed in a way analogous to so-
called basic 'life-satisfaction equation', subjective well-being might be treated
as a function of residents' income and hours of work vis-a-vis the impact of
community well-being (or deprivation) through employing causal type of
reasoning using path analytic version of structural model. Another important
factor at the community level (referred often to social cohesion) is social
capital the relative impact of which (weighted against individual income) is
checked using the 'compensating variation' approach. The spatial multilevel
modelling is finally extended by an attempt to assess the spatial interaction
effect on the cross-level relationships. Its inclusion is recommended in the
concluding this paper discussion suggesting a more systematic efforts toward
a spatially integrated approach to such a type of modelling problems.

Keywords
spatial analysis; measuring subjective well-being; community deprivation;
social capital

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