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Correlational findings

Study Montizaan (2010): study NL 2008

Public
Male public sector workers, close to pre-retirement, age, facing change in pension rights, Netherlands, 2008-2009
Survey name
Unnamed study
Sample
Respondents
N = 5195
Non Response
Assessment
Questionnaire: Conputer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI)
received a survey link by email

Correlate

Authors's Label
Shock in pension rights
Our Classification
Remarks
Early retirement was made less atractive - earliest age changed from 55 to 62 - average pension reduced from 70% to 60% of earlier income Reform decided in 2006, Happiness assessed in 2008 (T1) and 2009 (T2) when respondents had not yet retired
Operationalization
Cut in pre-retirement pension
1:  Will be affected by cut (born in 1950)
0:  Will not be affected (born in 1949)

Observed Relation with Happiness

Happiness Measure Statistics Elaboration / Remarks O-SLW-c-sq-n-11-cg DM = - p < .01                       Mean happiness     
                      T1: 2008  T2: 2009  T2-T1
Will be affected      +7.61     +7.77     +.16
Will not be affected  +7.71     +7.87     +.16
- difference          -0.10(01) -0.10(01) 0
O-SLW-c-sq-n-11-cg b = -.11 p < .01 b (-.107) no controls O-SLW-c-sq-n-11-cg b = -.13 p < .01 b (-.128) controled for:
- birth date (closeness to cut off point)
- year (2008 or 2009)
O-SLW-c-sq-n-11-cg b = -.14 p < .01 b (-.136) additionally controled for
- marital status
- yearly wage (log)
- years contributed to pension
- contractual work hours
- number of doctor visits per year

The financial equivalent of this loss in happiness is about a difference in annual wage of 20.000 Euro

The loss of happiness of affected workers is greater when
- birth day close to cut off point (3 month)
- less similar colleages are affected
  (denotes comparison effect; unfair)

b unaffected by
- year: 2009 vs 2008
  (which suggest no adaptation)
- expected pension at age 62
  (indicated that loss is more in comparison)
- facing same pension cut by wife