The Paradox of Relational Well-Being : A Comparative Study of South-East and East Asian Countries

This study analyzes the relational dimension of social well-being using three indicators: perception, interaction, and participation. The data of seven countries, namely the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, are comparatively analyzed focusing on the three indicators. The relational dimension of social well-being is related positively to the quality of life. The tendency shown by the comparative data indicates that the higher the economic wealth, the lower the relational well-being. This tendency is apparent from the difference in regional patterns among East Asian countries (Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan) and South-East Asian countries (Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia). It is this relation between economic wealth and relational well-being that is defined in this study as the paradox of relational well-being. The data set shows that South-East Asian countries have higher levels of relational well-being than East Asian countries whose economic wealth is relatively higher. At the community level, there is a higher quantity and quality of social relations in South-East Asian countries. The same pattern is also true for each of the three indicators: perception, interaction, and participation.