Life Satisfaction during the Second Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany: The Effects of Local Restrictions and Respondents ’ Perceptions about the Pandemic

This study examines the consequences of the pandemic on subjective well-being. First, we investigate to what extent regional and temporal differences in COVID-19 restrictions can explain individuals ’ life satisfaction in Germany. Second, we examine to what extent “subjective” evaluations of the pandemic are related to life satisfaction. Third, we examine whether these relationships vary with gender, parenthood, and partnership status, or whether relationships changed regarding specific s ub-populations (i.e., mothers, fathers, childless women/ men). Merging representative survey data from the German Family Demography Panel Study (FReDA) and contextual data on COVID-19 restrictions (i.e., the stringency index), we analyze a sample of 32,258 individuals living in Germany in their regi onal settings on the NUTS-3 level during the “second lockdown” in spring 2021. Furthermore, we use the FReDA field period between April and June 2021 to assess temporal variations in COVID-19 restrictions and their association with life satisfaction. To answer our research questions, we compare aggregated means and use variance decomposition and multivariate regression models. Our results show strong regional and temporal differences in COVID-19 restrictions, but neither temporal nor regional differences in “subjective” perceived pandemic burden or in life satisfaction at the aggregate d level. At the individual level, we find substantive negative associations between perceived pand...
Source: Applied Research in Quality of Life - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research