Subjective well-being: the problem of analyzing population qualitative heterogeneity (part 2)

Abstract

The article substantiates the importance of the methodological problem of analyzing qualitative heterogeneity of an objects’ set in the process of sociological measurement of subjective well-being. It presents the results of an exploratory study aimed at testing a number of tools in reconstruction procedures of social types among the population as qualitatively homogeneous latent formations (according to the nature of subjective well-being). In the first part of the article, an analysis was carried out of the “researchers’ request” for methodological reflection on the use in mass surveys of such subjective well-being generalized indicators as life satisfaction, personal happiness; the problem of the complete set of particular indicators was considered; the expediency of using relationships between the generalized indicator and the particular indicators as a basis for the typology was substantiated. This part of the article provides a brief description of the fuzzy classification algorithm from the class of logical-combinatorial methods used to search for typological syndromes, that are the basis for identifying typological groups. The results of a typological analysis, based on the RLMS HSE, wave 26, 2017 data are presented. Identification of the qualitative heterogeneity specifics in subjective well-being was carried out for all workers and for groups among them, representing three stages of the life cycle.