Material Conditions and Their Association with Children’s Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Poland

The article examines the association between material conditions of living and children''s subjective well-being (SWB) in Poland, addressing a gap in research on children’s own perspectives on this relationship. The study draws on data from nearly 2350 children aged 10 and 12, collected as part of the Children’s Worlds (International Survey of Children’s Well-Being—ISCWeB) project. By combining reports on children’s home belongings and conditions with children’s subjective ratings of satisfaction with their housing and possessions, the study provides a multidimensional analysis of the association between children''s material circumstances and both cognitive and affective components of SWB. The findings show that while most children report relatively good material conditions, important differences remain, particularly by region and family structure. Children from two-parent families and urban areas tend to experience lower levels of material deprivation. Reports of material conditions are only modestly associated with children’s SWB, especially its cognitive component. By contrast, children’s subjective evaluations of their house and possessions show stronger and more consistent associations with both cognitive well-being and positive affect, while their links with negative affect are weaker. These results suggest that children’s own evaluations of their material circumstances are more closely associated with their subjective well-being than the objective possessions they report. More broadly, the findings highlight the importance of including children’s own perspectives and subjective experiences in research and policy discussions on material conditions and well-being.