Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Quality of Life in Japan pp 15–45Cite as

Happiness in Japan: A Hierarchical Age-Period-Cohort Analysis Based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000–2015

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 460 Accesses

Part of the book series: Quality of Life in Asia ((QLAS,volume 13))

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine factors affecting the happiness of Japanese people based on the JGSS cumulative data 2000–2015. JGSS is a repeated cross-sectional survey conducted once a year or every other years. Analyzing the pooled data of JGSS makes it possible to examine the cohort effect and period effect. In addition, we can achieve more generalized findings by examining the effect of variables at the individual level while controlling for the effect of cohorts and periods. We employed a hierarchical Age-Period-Cohort Analysis because individuals are nested within two social contexts: period (time points of surveys) and cohort (birth cohorts with 5-year interval). The period and the cohort were set at the group level, age and other independent variables predicting happiness were set at the individual level. The results of our analysis revealed that (1) the age effect followed a U-shaped curve, (2) happiness declined in 2003, (3) happiness was low in 1935–1939 birth cohort, (4) original social stratum and social opportunities in the early period of life affected happiness over the life course, (5) subjective relative household income had a stronger relation with happiness than equivalent household income, (6) working status and marital status have a different effect on happiness between men and women.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The relative income hypothesis states that people’s happiness is affected not only by their amount of absolute income but also their amount of income compared to those around them. The adaptation hypothesis states that people’s happiness temporarily increases when their income rises but returns to its original level once they become accustomed to their new status.

  2. 2.

    The interpretation of intercept values varies depending on the method used to center the independent variables incorporated into a model. In this study, we centered continuous variables using the average values for the entire sample.

  3. 3.

    Kosaka (2008) suggested that we should focus on reducing unhappiness rather than increasing happiness.

  4. 4.

    Treating 1–5 as continuous variables and conducting the analysis produces roughly the same results as the ones obtained in this study.

  5. 5.

    Respondents were asked to answer to the question “Compared with Japanese families in general, what would you say about your family income?” with a number ranging from 1 (Far below average) to 5 (Far above average).

  6. 6.

    JGSS-2006 asked about their experiences with giving up on higher education due to financial reasons, and as expected, those born between 1935 and 1939 had the highest rates of abandoning higher education.

References

  • Bauman, Z. (2009). Kōfukuron—“Ikizurai” jidai no shakaigaku [The art of life] (R. Takahashi & F. Hirakiuchi, Trans.) Japan: Shakuhinsha.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benedict, R. (1967). Kiku to katana—Nihon bunka no kata [The chrysanthemum and the sword: Patterns of Japanese culture] (M. Hasegawa, Trans.). Japan: Shakai Shisousha.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchflower, D. G., & Oswald, A. J. (2004). Well-being over time in Britain and the USA. Journal of Public Economics, 88, 1359–1386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchflower, D. G., & Oswald, A. J. (2008). Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle? Social Science and Medicine, 66(8), 1733–1749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A. E., Frijters, P., & Shields, M. A. (2008). Relative income, happiness, and utility: An explanation for the Easterlin paradox and other puzzles. Journal of Economic Literature, 46(1), 95–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conceição, P., & Bandura, R. (2008). Measuring subjective wellbeing: A summary review of the literature. UNDP Working Paper. Retrieved from www.undp.org/developmentstudies/researchpapers.shtml.

  • Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1), 1–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di Tella, R., MacCulloch, R. J., & Oswald, A. J. (2001). Preferences over inflation and unemployment: Evidence from surveys of happiness. American Economic Review, 91(1), 335–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Easterlin, R. A. (1974). Does economic growth improve the human lot? In P. A. David & M. W. Reder (Eds.), Nations and households in economic growth: Essays in honor of Moses Abramovitz (pp. 89–125). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Firebaugh, G., & Schroeder, M. B. (2009). Does your neighbor’s income affect your happiness? American Journal of Sociology, 115(3), 805–831.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, B. S., & Stutzer, A. (2002). Kōfuku no seiji-keizaigaku—Hitobito no shiawase o sokushin suru mono wa nanika [Happiness and economics: How the economy and institutions affect human well-being] (T. Sawa & F. Sawasaki, Trans.). Japan: Diamond.

    Google Scholar 

  • Glenn, N. D. (2005). Cohort analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hamada, H. (2008). Kōfukukan no genjō [Current state of happiness]. In K. Kosaka (Ed.), Kōfuku no Shakai Riron (pp. 78–87). Japan: The Society for the Promotion of the Open University of Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harlow, R. E., & Cantor, N. (1996). Still participating after all these years: A study of life task participation in later life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1235–1249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inaba, A. (2002). Kekkon to disutoresu [Marital status and psychological distress in Japan]. Shakaigaku Hyōron, 53(2), 69–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (1990). Culture shift in advanced industrial society. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Inglehart, R. (2000). Globalization and postmodern value. The Washington Quarterly, 23(1), 215–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ishida, J. (2009). Kasōteki shotokusai bunpai ni yoru fubyōdō to kōfuku sōwa no hendō—2005-nen SSM chōsa dēta o mochiita shimyurēshon bunseki [Change in inequality and aggregation of subjective well-being by redistribution of income: A simulation analysis using the 2005 SSM survey dataset]. Shakaigaku Hyōron, 59(4), 752–768.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwai, H. (2007). Kōreisha no shakaiteki chii no henka to kōfukukan—Raifu kōsu to kaisō kenkyū no shiten kara [Changes in social status and happiness of the elderly—From the viewpoint of research into life course and class]. Ikigai Kenkyū, 13, 47–72.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwai, N. (2002). Shiawase desu ka—nihonjin no kōfukukan [Are you happy?—The happiness of Japanese people]. In N. Iwai & H. Satō (Eds.), Nihonjin no Sugata (pp. 2–8). Japan: Yuhikaku Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi, D. (2016). Seikatsu manzokukan ni taisuru karei kōka/ cōhōto kōka/ jidai kōka [Effects of aging, period, and cohort on life satisfaction]. In H. Tarōmaru (Ed.), Kōki Kindai to Kachi Ishiki no Henyō—Nihonjin no Ishiki (pp. 1973–2008). Tokyo, Japan: University of Tokyo Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kosaka, K. (2008). Fukō no genzan [Reducing unhappiness]. In K. Kosaka (Ed.), Kōfuku no Shakai Riron. Tokyo: Foundation for the Promotion of the Open University of Japan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R. W. (1978). Thirty years of research on the subjective well-being of older Americans. Journal of Gerontology, 33(1), 109–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K. S., & Ono, H. (2008). Specialization and happiness in marriage: A U.S.-Japan comparison. Social Science Research, 37, 1216–1264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason, W. M., & Wolfinger, N. H. (2002). Cohort analysis. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 2189–2194). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Micklewright, J. (1994). The analysis of pooled cross-section data: Early school leaving. In A. Dale & R. B. Davies (Eds.), Analyzing social & political change: A casebook of methods (pp. 78–97). London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misawa, K. (1993). Gendai nihonjin no ikikata [Modern Japanese way of life]. In K. Misawa (Ed.), Gendai Seikatsu to Ningen (pp. 25–47). Tokyo, Japan: Koyo Shobo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shiraishi, K., & Shiraishi, S. (2010). Kōfuku no keizaigaku no genjō to kadai [A survey of happiness research]. In F. Ōtake, S. Shiraishi, & Y. Tsutsui (Eds.), Nihon no Kōfukudo (pp. 9–32). Tokyo, Japan: Nippon Hyoronsha.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shishido, K. (2007). Kōreiki ni okeru kōfukukan kitei yōin no danjosa ni tsuite—JGSS-2000/2001 tōgō dēta ni motozuku kentō [Difference between men’s happiness and women’s happiness in later life—An analysis based on JGSS integrated data 2000/2001]. JGSS Kenkyū Ronbunshū, 6, 45–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shishido, K., & Iwai, N. (2010). JGSS ruiseki dēta 2000–2008 ni miru Nihonjin no ishiki to kōdō no henka [Trends of Japanese values and behavioral patterns based on JGSS cumulative data 2000–2008]. JGSS Kenkyū Ronbunshū, 10, 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Social Policy Bureau. (2008). Heisei 20 Nenban Kokumin Seikatsu Hakusho [Citizen life white paper for 2008]. Tokyo, Japan: Cabinet Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, H. L. (2008). Advances in age-period-cohort analysis. Sociological Methods & Research, 36(3), 287–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A., & Hewitt, L. N. (2001). Volunteer work and well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42, 115–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomoeda, T. (1996). Shakaigaku to Jisshōshugi [Sociology and positivism]. Shakaigaku Hyōron, 47(1), 33–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsutsui, Y. (2010). Kōfuku kenkyū no kadai [Challenges in happiness research]. In F. Ōtake, S. Shiraishi, & Y. Tsutsui (Eds.), Nihon no Kōfukudo (pp. 263–279). Tokyo, Japan: Nippon Hyoronsha.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, J. M. (1992). Marital status and well-being in Canada. Journal of Family Issues, 13, 390–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamada, M. (2004). Kibō kakusa shakai—‘Makegumi’ no zetsubōkan ga Nihon o hikisaku [A society separated by hope—How the hopelessness of ‘losers’ disrupts Japan]. Tokyo, Japan: Chikumashobo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y. (2008). Social inequalities in happiness in the United States 1972 to 2004: An age-period-cohort analysis. American Sociological Review, 73, 204–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y., & Land, K. C. (2006). A mixed models approach to the age-period-cohort analysis of repeated cross-section surveys, with an application to data on trends in verbal test scores. Sociological Methodology, 36, 75–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yasuda, T. (2006). Hanpuku ōdan chōsa to shite no JGSS no igi—Chōsa kankaku no mijikasa ga motsu riten [Significance of Japanese GSS as repeated cross-sectional survey—Advantage offered by short survey intervals]. Shakaigaku Nenshi, 47, 19–33.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The Japanese General Social Surveys (JGSS) are designed and carried out by the JGSS Research Center at Osaka University of Commerce (Joint Usage/Research Center for Japanese General Social Surveys accredited by Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), in collaboration with the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo. JGSS-2015 is financially assisted by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 26245060. This study received funding from MEXT’s Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Young Researcher (B) 21730434).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. JGSS Research Center, Osaka University of Commerce, Higashi-osaka, Japan

    Kuniaki Shishido & Takayuki Sasaki

Authors
  1. Kuniaki Shishido
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Takayuki Sasaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kuniaki Shishido .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

    Ming-Chang Tsai

  2. Osaka University of Commerce, Osaka, Japan

    Noriko Iwai

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Shishido, K., Sasaki, T. (2020). Happiness in Japan: A Hierarchical Age-Period-Cohort Analysis Based on JGSS Cumulative Data 2000–2015. In: Tsai, MC., Iwai, N. (eds) Quality of Life in Japan. Quality of Life in Asia, vol 13. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8910-8_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8910-8_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-8909-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-8910-8

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation