Social Indicators Research

From Lifespan Inequality to Lifespan Inequity - Social Indicators Research This article introduces a comprehensive framework for defining and quantifying lifespan inequity within a population, grounded in the capability approach. Lifespan inequity (i.e., unfair inequality) i...

📖 New publication: "From Lifespan Inequality to Lifespan Inequity"! @mmuszynskas.bsky.social, Yukiko Asada, @alysonvanraalte.bsky.social and Isaac Sasson demonstrate the importance of normative assumptions in the measurement of demographic phenomena.
🔗 Read now: tinyurl.com/3rey89f3
#demography

Growing up Different(ly than Last Time We Asked): Social Status and Changing Reports of Childhood Income Rank - Social Indicators Research How we remember our past can be shaped by the realities of our present. This study examines how changes to present circumstances influence retrospective reports of family income rank at age 16. While retrospective survey data can be used to assess the long-term effects of childhood conditions, present-day circumstances may “anchor” memories, causing shifts in how individuals recall and report past experiences. Using panel data from the 2006–2014 General Social Surveys (8,602 observations from 2,883 individuals in the United States), we analyze how changes in objective and subjective indicators of current social status—income, financial satisfaction, and perceived income relative to others—are associated with changes in reports of childhood income rank, and how this varies by sex and race/ethnicity. Fixed-effects models reveal no significant association between changes in income and in childhood income rank. However, changes in subjective measures of social status show contrasting effects, as increases in current financial satisfaction are associated with decreases in childhood income rank, but increases in current perceived relative income are associated with increases in childhood income rank. We argue these opposing effects follow from theories of anchoring in recall bias. We further find these effects are stronger among males but are consistent across racial/ethnic groups. This demographic heterogeneity suggests that recall bias is not evenly distributed across the population and has important implications for how different groups perceive their own pasts. Our findings further highlight the malleability of retrospective perceptions and their sensitivity to current social conditions, offering methodological insights into survey reliability and recall bias.

The GSS asked the same people about their childhood income rank three different times. 56% changed their answer, even though what was trying to be measured couldn’t change! We dig into this in a new article at @socialindicators.bsky.social. 



doi.org/10.1007/s112...

🧵👇 (1/5)

...or let your ears do the work and listen to our new podcast episode (but admire the cat, too, obviously)

1️😷🔀 @apweiland.bsky.social @mreifenscheid.bsky.social M.Dreier, P.Steins & I use Mannheim Corona Study & SQA to examine employment trajectories during the pandemic and how they are associated with subjective outcomes. @socialindicators.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1007/s112...
🧵⬇️
bsky.app/profile/apwe...

Call for Submissions / Convocatoria de Resúmenes ✨
Quality of Life, Well-being and Happiness in Latin America
ISQOLS 2026 Regional Conference, Buenos Aires 🇦🇷
📅 9–11 March 2026 | Univ. de Palermo
Deadline/Fecha límite: 30 Sept 2025
🔗 isqols.org/Argentina
#ISQOLS #Wellbeing

Geographies of feeling stuck behind and populist voting in The Netherlands - Social Indicators Research This article adds to the debate on the polarization of modern society by examining whether two principal theories, ‘voting with their feet’ and feelings of being ‘left behind’, can jointly explain the...

Radicalism stems less from #poverty or #inequality than from the ache of being stuck in a place that doesn't matter.
According to @cbd-paradigm.bsky.social, Burger & Webber in @socialindicators.bsky.social‬‬ , it grows in towns drained of people and public culture.
doi.org/10.1007/s112...

Published @socialindicators.bsky.social as part of a special issue on The impact of the COVID-19 effects on individuals’ subjective well-being. Curated by M. Collischon, J. Kroh and @patzinaalex.bsky.social
link.springer.com/collections/...

A reminder to authors intending to submit manuscripts to Social Indicators Research:

Please consult our editorial article, to gain guidance on our aims & scope as well as some core methodological ideas. @isa-rc55.bsky.social

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

🔊Publication alert. Inequality and Status Anxiety: Bad Allies of Health and Well-Being, but not for Everyone. The Role of Ideologies, Socioeconomic Status, and Economic Threat at @socialindicators.bsky.social lead by D.Melita from @labdesigualdad.bsky.social Full article: doi.org/10.1007/s112...

Great piece by Yukiko Asada et al. @socialindicators.bsky.social on taking seriously 'luck' as a driver of life outcomes and inequality, creatively illustrated with reference to the life course of a certain French painter in this figure.

Full article: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

I've been trying to get authors to post their code (in submissions to @socialindicators.bsky.social); virtually no-one does.

After a 1-year trial period where it is only "strongly encouraged", I think it needs to become mandatory.

Desk-rejections will skyrocket (already very high). So be it...

Thanks @psalasr.bsky.social & #DIGCLASS (@guillemvidal.me & D.Villani) for the @lisdata.bsky.social Award! Wealth is stratified by class💸—Class isn't dead 🧟

📝Article @socialindicators.bsky.social: link.springer.com/article/10.1...
📰Post @lseinequalities.bsky.social: blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities...

📑 New publication in Social Indicators Research:
"Introducing the Social Integration Index for Older Europeans: The Role of Gender and Care Regimes"

Social integration plays a vital role in the health and longevity of older adults, yet a comparative European measurement tool has been lacking.

📢 Thrilled to share our new paper with MerlePohlmeyer& KarinSchulzeBuschoff, just published in @socialindicators.bsky.social “Diverging Paths? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Subjective Well-Being of the Solo Self-Employed and Employees in Germany (2019–2023)”
🔗 rdcu.be/ers11
🧵 Key insights 👇

Perceived Economic Inequality Is Negatively Associated with Subjective Well-being through Status Anxiety and Social Trust - Social Indicators Research The relationship between economic inequality and subjective well-being has produced mixed results in the literature. Conflicting evidence may be due to overlooking the role of psychosocial processes t...

📊 The study, published in @socialindicators.bsky.social, highlights that reducing inequality is not only fair but also improves our collective well-being.

🔗 More info: doi.org/10.1007/s112...

#SocialResearch #Inequality

🚨 A world-first in happiness research! ISQOLS' Talita Greyling & Stephanie Rossouw created a real-time Happiness Index using Google Trends™ + machine learning. Fast, dynamic insights for policy & well-being.
🔗 Read the full article here:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
#ISQOLS #GNH #Wellbeing

The Editorial Boards of leading health economics journals are issuing a Joint Statement of Principles on Editorial Independence. In these troubled times some scholars worry their work might suffer ideological attack. We reaffirm our commitment to unfettered scholarship. Please repost.

YouTube video by ISQOLS 30 Years of ISQOLS Impact: Veteran Reflections on Community, Career, and Connection

🎥 New Video!
30 Years of ISQOLS Impact: Reflections on community, careers & connection from Stephanie Rossouw, Valerie Møller & Andrew Clark.

👀 Watch: youtu.be/prZ5xJb50a0?...
🎉 Join us in Luxembourg, 21–25 July! #ISQOLS2025 #ISQOLS30 #QualityOfLife

yup

bsky.app/profile/arst...

Yes. I was taking the main reason as implicitly agreed by anyone with half a brain!

We are seeing multiple instances of reviewers doing manuscript reviews via use of AI/LLM.

If you don't want to do a review the old-fashioned way, better to decline the request.

Giving someone else's manuscript to AI is a violation of intellectual property rights/laws; the manuscript isn't yours...

Thinking of submitting a manuscript to Social Indicators Research?

We (the editors) have published some detailed guidance for authors:

rdcu.be/dQwLD

Underlying idea: authors should have access to a clear sense of how the editors evaluate manuscripts.

Reminder!

Register until May 10 at shorturl.at/eJJwW

Pets Bring Big Benefits Having a pet is good for you. They can keep you fit and ease stress. In fact their emotional value is equal to that of a really big raise.

PETS BRING BIG BENEFITS The mood boost pets provide is equal to the rise in life satisfaction you might expect to see if you received an extra $90,000 a year. bit.ly/43RXp2O #petlovers #happiness
@lsepress.bsky.social #Wellbeing #AnimalLovers #horselover @socialindicators.bsky.social #doglovers

🚨 New publication alert 🚨 Eef Gijbels, Julie Vinck and I examined the costs associated with raising children with disabilities in Belgium, in order to better understand their living standards and improve future poverty measurements. Out now in @socialindicators.bsky.social. 👉 rdcu.be/eeFOz THREAD 🧵

Read the full study here: rdcu.be/ecwCe #Volunteering #WellBeing #COVID19

@socialindicators.bsky.social Special Issue: link.springer.com/collections/...

📢 My paper is out in @socialindicators.bsky.social! We find that the "experiential advantage" holds in Hungary – people gain more #happiness from #experiences than material goods. Social desirability bias plays a role but doesn't erase the effect. bit.ly/sirexp #WellBeing #SocialDesirability

Wealth and Income Stratification by Social Class in Five European Countries - Social Indicators Research Wealth is a central determinant of life chances and intergenerational status persistence in modern societies. Despite increasing attention, sociologists traditionally overlooked its role in class-base...

No class death/decomposition—Wealth accumulation is firmly stratified by social classes in Europe, harming equal opportunity: new @socialindicators.bsky.social📝 by @psalasr.bsky.social @guillemvidal.me Villani 👇
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
@florenceups.bsky.social @lseinequalities.bsky.social

Special issue, CfP: Spatial mobility and subjective well-being

Short or extended abstracts by March 31st, and full articles by September 30th.

Details link.springer.com/collections/...

This starter pack is still a relatively short list. I imagine there are more happiness/SWB researchers on Bluesky at this point -- let me know if you want to be added.