Hitotsubashi University, Institute of Economic Research, 2-1 Naka, Kunitachi, Tokyo 186-8603, Japan.
Soc Sci Med. 2010 May;70(9):1358-66. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.010. Epub 2010 Feb 12.
In this study, we examined how regional inequality is associated with perceived happiness and self-rated health at an individual level by using micro-data from nationwide surveys in Japan. We estimated the bivariate ordered probit models to explore the associations between regional inequality and two subjective outcomes, and evaluated effect modification to their sensitivities to regional inequality using the categories of key individual attributes. We found that individuals who live in areas of high inequality tend to report themselves as both unhappy and unhealthy, even after controlling for various individual and regional characteristics and taking into account the correlation between the two subjective outcomes. Gender, age, educational attainment, income, occupational status, and political views modify the associations of regional inequality with the subjective assessments of happiness and health. Notably, those with an unstable occupational status are most affected by inequality when assessing both perceived happiness and health.
在这项研究中，我们利用日本全国性调查的微观数据，考察了区域不平等如何与个体层面的幸福感和自评健康相关。我们估计了二元有序概率模型，以探讨区域不平等与两个主观结果之间的关系，并使用关键个体属性的类别评估了它们对区域不平等敏感性的调节作用。我们发现，即使控制了各种个体和区域特征，并考虑到两个主观结果之间的相关性，生活在不平等程度较高地区的人往往会报告自己既不幸福也不健康。性别、年龄、教育程度、收入、职业状况和政治观点改变了区域不平等与幸福感和健康评估之间的关联。值得注意的是，在评估幸福感和健康时，那些职业状况不稳定的人受到不平等的影响最大。
