Current and Expected Economic Hardship and Satisfaction With Family Life in Europe

Abstract

This study investigated how people’s satisfaction with their family life is influenced by economic circumstances. Expectations were formulated that people who experienced or expected economic hardship would be less satisfied with their family life. Additionally, it was hypothesized that current and expected economic hardship would amplify each other’s consequences on satisfaction, and that current and expected economic hardship was more harmful for people with children and when the rise of unemployment in a country was larger. Multilevel analyses were conducted using a sample from the European Quality of Life Survey 2012 ( N = 13,013 in 30 countries). Results indeed indicated that people who experienced or expected economic hardship were less satisfied with their family life. Expecting a financial decline was (slightly) more harmful for people in larger families. Generally, current and expected economic problems were not more harmful for parents or when a country’s rise of unemployment was larger.