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Correlational findings

Study Nawijn et al. (2010): study NL 2006

Public
16+ aged, general public, Netherlands, followed 21 weeks, 2006
Sample
Respondents
N = 1530
Non Response
470
Assessment
Questionnaire: Conputer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI)
Completed every 8 weeks

Correlate

Authors's Label
Vacationing
Our Classification
Remarks
Ss answered questions every 2 months on how happy they had felt and at T3 also about holiday trips since T2 T1: week 11 (March) T2: week 19 (May) T3: week 27 (July) T4: week 35 (September) T5: week 43 (November) In week 35 respondents also reported: A: the number of days the holiday trip had lasted B: how many days had passed since return
Distribution
N = 1: 974, 0: 556
Operationalization
Selfreport on single question at T3 on whether or not one had had a holiday trip in the last two months  (since T2)
1: Had a holiday trip (vacationers)
0: Had not (non-vacationers)

Assessed in week 35 and referred to the time since the last participation in this follow-up study in week 27

Observed Relation with Happiness

Happiness Measure Statistics Elaboration / Remarks A-AB-cm-mq-v-5-c DM = +                  T1(before)     T5 (after)
Vacationers      M=2,25 SD=.08  M=2,19 SD=.08
Non-vacationers  M=2,07 SD=.09  M=2,06 SD=.07
-difference       +0,18           +0,13

T1 = pre-trip (March 2006), T5= post-trip (November 2006)
A-AB-cm-mq-v-5-c MAoV = + Vacationers significantly happier at T1 but not at T2

Covariates:
- educational level
- net household income
- age
- extraversion

Happiness rises after a holiday only among vacationers who rated the trip as 'very relaxed'