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Estonian Human Development Report

Estonian Human Development Report - Eesti Koostöö Kogu

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5.5. General relationships between<br />

the indicators of the consumer and<br />

information society and the quality of life<br />

In this subchapter we will examine the relationships<br />

between one aspect of subjective well-being – satisfaction<br />

with life – and the aggregate indicators reflecting consumption<br />

and Internet use as well as orientations related<br />

to the consumer and information society.<br />

Figure 5.5.1. lists the relationships between people’s<br />

satisfaction with life and the indexes related to consumer<br />

and information society based on the correlation coefficients<br />

calculated on the basis of the entire sample of the<br />

2008 Mina. Maailm. Meedia survey. We see that people’s<br />

assessment of their satisfaction with life is most strongly<br />

related to the index of financial prosperity, which measures<br />

the availability of money for various expenses, ranging<br />

from eating adequately to travelling and educating<br />

children. It can be concluded, therefore, that in the context<br />

of aspects of the consumer and information society,<br />

people’s subjective well-being is primarily dependent on<br />

their material consumption opportunities.<br />

The indicators related to Internet use, including frequency<br />

of Internet use (summated frequency of use at work<br />

/ school, home and elsewhere) and versatility of Internet use<br />

(summary indicator of the relative importance of engagement<br />

in 22 different online activities), occupy important<br />

positions in the hierarchy of factors: the level of satisfaction<br />

with life is higher in the case of people who have<br />

more resources (opportunities, time and skills) for using<br />

the Internet in various ways. Among attitudinal indicators,<br />

consumption-related dissatisfaction has the strongest<br />

(and, as expected, negative) connection with people’s satisfaction<br />

with life. This perceived lack of opportunities for<br />

enjoying a healthy diet, and the insufficient selection of<br />

food and clothing have a negative effect on the general level<br />

of satisfaction with life. More hedonistic consumption orientations<br />

focused on lifestyles and self-expression, such as<br />

consumerism and attributing importance to brands 29 , have<br />

less of a connection with people’s assessment of their quality<br />

of life than the previously described consumption and<br />

Internet use indicators related to resources and daily life.<br />

Satisfaction with life is affected equally by consumerism<br />

and the tendency to value brands as well as people’s level<br />

of being informed regarding the events taking place in their<br />

immediate environment, Estonia, and the rest of the world.<br />

Orientations that are critical of consumer society and<br />

focus on the conservation of the environment as well as the<br />

opposite orientations 30 have a weaker connection to people’s<br />

assessment of their level of satisfaction with life. The<br />

strength of the relationships and their positive or negative<br />

nature vary considerably in terms of different age groups.<br />

The youngest generation of respondents (aged 15–29)<br />

differs from middle-aged and older respondents mainly<br />

with regard to the fact that several orientations related<br />

to consumer and information society, including versatile<br />

Internet use, consumerism, and attributing importance<br />

to brands, are so widespread among them that they are<br />

not related to the differences in satisfaction with life that<br />

appear within the group. The intra-generation differences<br />

in subjective well-being are reflected primarily in the variations<br />

regarding the availability of financial resources and<br />

activeness related to Internet use, as young people who<br />

are wealthier and use the Internet more frequently tend<br />

to be more satisfied with their lives. A higher level of criticism<br />

towards consumption opportunities and choices is<br />

also related to a lower level of satisfaction with life in the<br />

case of the youngest age group. Compared to middle-aged<br />

respondents, the relationships is even stronger. It is noteworthy<br />

that for the younger generation, satisfaction with<br />

life is connected to a lower level of concern regarding the<br />

Figure 5.5.1. Relationships between people’s level<br />

of satisfaction with life (5 – “completely satisfied” ...<br />

1 – “not at all satisfied”) and indexes related to consumer<br />

and information society by age groups (Pearson<br />

correlation coefficients, p

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