Panel study reveals varied wellbeing outcomes in older adults, indicating that social structures and personal agency interact to shape happiness.
Key Points
To examine the wellbeing of older individuals during the first COVID-19 national lockdown and evaluate how socio-economic standing and individual agency influence happiness.
Analyzed qualitative responses from an older, predominantly middle-class panel in the UK drawn from the Mass Observation Project (MOP) during the 2020 pandemic lockdown.
Assessed self-reported daily activities, material resources, personal attitudes, and subjective definitions of happiness.
Favorable socio-economic circumstances partially cushioned individuals against negative lockdown impacts, though economic status alone could not explain broad variations in wellbeing.
Wellbeing arose through a dynamic interplay among personal agency, daily activities, available resources, and overarching social structures.
Evaluations of happiness varied systematically based on how individuals personally defined and conceptualized what it means to be happy.