Higher education for happiness? Investigating the impact of education on the hedonic and eudaimonic well-being of Europeans

This study examines the impact of post-secondary education on the well-being of Europeans, comparing single-item hedonic and multi-dimensional eudaimonic models of well-being, operationalized as ‘satisfaction with life’ (SWL) and ‘flourishing’. The results indicate that the impact of education varie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEuropean educational research journal EERJ Vol. 17; no. 5; pp. 733 - 754
Main Author Jongbloed, Janine
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.09.2018
Symposium Journals (with European Educational Research Association)
Subjects
Comparative Analysis
Correlation
Education
Educational Attainment
Educational Research
Employment Level
Foreign Countries
Higher Education
Humanities and Social Sciences
Life Satisfaction
Public Policy
Socioeconomic Status
Vocational Education
Well Being
Europe
well-being
flourishing
survey research
Europe
Post-secondary education
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Summary:This study examines the impact of post-secondary education on the well-being of Europeans, comparing single-item hedonic and multi-dimensional eudaimonic models of well-being, operationalized as ‘satisfaction with life’ (SWL) and ‘flourishing’. The results indicate that the impact of education varies significantly when well-being is defined from each of these two perspectives: although vocational education is not significantly associated with the SWL of women and men, it is significantly associated with the extent to which both men and women are flourishing in their lives. Tertiary education is significant across all models for both SWL and flourishing. This study highlights the importance of comprehensive conceptualizations and measurements of well-being in European educational research and public policy.
ISSN:1474-9041
1474-9041
DOI:10.1177/1474904118770818