Table 2 Survey questions and descriptions of the variables from the ESS dataset
From: Does less working time improve life satisfaction? Evidence from European Social Survey
Variables | Survey questions | Responses |
|---|---|---|
Life satisfaction | B27: All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole nowadays? | Scored from 0 to 10, where 0 means extremely dissatisfied and 10 means extremely satisfied |
Worktime | F30: Regardless of your basic or contracted hours, how many hours do/did you normally work a week (in your main job), including any paid or unpaid overtime? | Hours worked per week, between 0 and 168Â h |
Health | C7: How is your health in general? | ‘Very bad’ = 1; ‘Bad’ = 2; ‘Fair’ = 3; ‘Good’ = 4; ‘Very good’ = 5 |
Social inclusion | C4: Compared to other people of your age, how often would you say you take part in social activities? | ‘Much less than most’ = 1; ‘Less than most’ = 2; ‘About the same’ = 3; ‘More than most’ = 4; ‘Much more than most’ = 5 |
Digitalization | A3: On a typical day, about how much time do you spend using the internet on a computer, tablet, smartphone or other device, whether for work or personal use? | Typical time spent on the internet per day, in minutes |
Trust | A4: Using this card, generally speaking, would you say that most people can be trusted, or that you can’t be too careful in dealing with people? | Scored from 0 to 10, where 0 means you can’t be too careful and 10 means that most people can be trusted |
Safety | C6: How safe do you—or would you—feel walking alone in this area after dark? | ‘Very unsafe’ = 1; ‘Unsafe’ = 2; ‘Safe’ = 3; ‘Very safe’ = 4 |
Income | F41: Which letter describes your household’s total income, after tax and compulsory deductions, from all sources? | Scored from 0 to 10, where 0 means extremely low and 10 means extremely high, for weekly, monthly, and annual amounts |
Gender | F2: Sex | ‘Male’ = 1; ‘Female’ = 0 |
Age | F3: Age | Calculated by birth year |
Marital status | F11: What is your legal marital status? | ‘Yes’ = 1; ‘No’ = 0 |
Religion | C11: Do you consider yourself as belonging to any particular religion or denomination? | ‘Yes’ = 1; ‘No’ = 0 |
Education | F15: What is the highest level of education you have successfully completed? | ‘High school or lower’ = 1; ‘Bachelor’s degree’ = 2; ‘Master’s degree’ = 3; ‘Doctoral degree’ = 4 |
Job category | F32: Which of the types of organization on this card do/did you work for? | ‘Central or local government’ = 1; ‘Other public sector (such as education and health)’ = 2; ‘A state-owned enterprise’ = 3; ‘A private firm’ = 4; ‘Self-employed’ = 5; ‘Other’ = 6 |