Network size and satisfaction with social relationships as a source of subjective well-being
Abstract
In this paper, we first identify the types of relationship between the network size and satisfaction with social relations (large or small, or satisfied or not satisfied) and examine whether their formation is related to the sociodemographic characteristics of the individual and of the couple in the household. In the second part of the paper, we show how the identified types are related to the subjective well-being of household members, including trust, anomie and life satisfaction.
We used the 2015 wave of the HCSO Household Budget and Living Conditions Survey. Only households with at least one heterosexual couple were included in the sample (n = 3564 households and 7128 individuals). To estimate the size of the social network, we used variables expressing the frequency of a given type of contact (face-to-face and non-face-to-face meetings with relatives and friends) on an annual basis. Respondents rated their satisfaction with their relationships on a scale from 0 to 11.
The results of the analysis confirm that more relationships are associated with higher satisfaction, but the two subgroups corresponding to the positive relationship between network size and satisfaction (large network - more satisfaction and small network – less satisfaction) are found in very different social groups, and therefore it can be assumed that different mechanisms generate the relationship that supports the basic assumption (a larger network necessarily increases well-being).
In terms of the correlation with the other elements of subjective well-being, we find that while greater satisfaction with social relationships and trust are positively correlated, network size is not correlated with trust. The same is true for anomie and life satisfaction. It is worth noting that not only the individual’s satisfaction with social relationships, but also the partner’s satisfaction is related to the three variables, which seems to confirm the relevance of studying the research question at the household level.
