A STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING WITH WELFARE INDICATORS: EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, ACCESS TO SERVICES AND MATERIAL DEPRIVATION

Abstract

This study aims at presenting comprehensive model using welfare indicators such as socioeconomic status, access to services and material deprivation, and examining the relationships between these variables. In the analysis, we use the pooled cross-sectional data set of the Household Budget Survey of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT) covering the period 2015-2019. Since the simultaneous relationship between welfare indicators such as socioeconomic status, material deprivation and access to services is examined using latent variables, Structural Equation Modeling is preferred. The study finds that socioeconomic status, composed of education and income, increases households' access to services and decreases their material deprivation. In addition, as households' access to services increases, their material deprivation decreases. Our study also finds that women's socioeconomic status is lower than men's in Turkiye during the period analysed. Moreover men in households have more limited access to services and face more material deprivation than women. The increase in household size makes access to services more difficult, worsens the socioeconomic situation and increases deprivation. Considering the health status variable, it is concluded that healthy individuals have higher socioeconomic status and suffer from less deprivation.