The main objective of this study is to explain and predict subjective
well-being among the elderly as a function of their social location
in society and the nature of their social networks. More specifically,
the study seeks to answer the following questions: First, how do the
elderly perceive their well-being? Second, does social location in society,
as defined by income and education, produce different perceptions
of well-being? Third, how would interaction and receipt of goods and
services in the social support network modify the impact of social location
on subjective well-being?
Using the data of the National Survey on the Aged, 1975, conducted
by Ethel Shanas, the study utilized a social structure and personality
framework. as an approach to the problem. Through multiple regression
analyses, the study found that the impact of social locational factors
on subjective well-being among the elderly is not mediated by the pattern
of social interaction in the social support network. Education was found
to be an important correlate of subjective well-being among the elderly.
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