Equity and Satisfaction among the Elderly

Abstract

This study compares the contribution of equity to that of aspiration, friends, and typical American as frames-of-reference for current status in predicting domain satisfactions and overall well-being. In their study of the quality of American life, Campbell, Converse and Rogers [1] found that the level-of-aspiration reference frame for viewing one's current situation provided the best prediction of domain satisfaction for younger but not for older adults and suggested equity as possibly relevant. This study of three samples of California adults aged sixty and over confirms the relevance of an equity frame-of-reference in accounting for the satisfaction of older people with specific conditions of their lives and with their overall life satisfaction or sense of well-being.