Structure of well-being and overall life satisfaction

What is the structure of well-being? Is it a one-dimensional concept or does it have several dimensions? We use the specific rotating module 'well-being' of the Statistics on Resources and Living Conditions (SRLC) survey to study this issue in detail. We restrict ourselves to employed persons aged 16 to 64 in order to be able to mobilise the questions relating to work. In the Statistics on Resources and Living Conditions (SRLC) 2018 survey, 18 questions deal with aspects related to well-being and one additional question directly addresses satisfaction with one's life in general. In this work, we first recall some essential conceptual and metrological elements of the measurement of well-being: it is a contemporary concept that has its roots in a philosophical tradition dealing with the issue of happiness (eudaemonia) and pleasure (hedonia). Its measurement is generally based on an evaluative component of several aspects of life, and a hedonic, sensory and psychological component. Beyond this conceptualisation, it appears that implementations in large representative surveys do not necessarily follow standard psychological questionnaires. We show that in the SRCV module, wellbeing comprises at least four distinct components (and seven if more detail is desired), within which two groups approaching the classical evaluative and hedonic dimensions can be composed. Finally, we show that life satisfaction is very strongly linked to satisfactions related to material aspects of life and to a lesser extent to mental health aspects. Although it seems natural to consider that a general question on life satisfaction can reflect well-being or happiness, one should keep in mind these limitations when interpreting the answers to this question.