Table 5.

Good events: comparative likelihood estimates, England.

Good events	England
Socioeconomic status	All, N = 87		Lower, n = 47			Higher, n = 40
	% Chance for other		% Self-other difference1		Ratio2	% Self-other difference1		Ratio2
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD		Mean	SD
Unexpectedly inheriting some money	31.53	23.12	−12.17***	24.22	0.18***	−10.00*	24.28	0.17***
Winning the lottery	11.55	16.17	−3.56	18.08	0.31*	−2.82	10.11	0.10**
Exotic foreign travel	57.33	25.73	8.04	30.97	1.62	11.75*	32.73	4.20**
Son/daughter getting a very good job	45.49	22.56	2.79	22.20	1.89	−4.10	25.69	0.91
Good health in old age	55.47	16.50	3.91*	12.06	2.57*	−3.75	16.12	0.79
Moving to a better house	50.00	22.49	−1.09	25.39	0.88	−1.00	24.68	1.00
Son or daughter does well at school	50.39	23.38	5.85	25.19	2.25*	−2.97	28.54	1.75
Living a long life	58.59	18.53	3.70	18.81	2.38*	1.03	17.80	1.20
Son/daughter being happily married	43.00	20.65	1.67	17.06	1.67	−4.21	18.21	0.78
Success for self or spouse at work	55.12	19.93	0.87	17.70	1.56	−2.00	14.36	0.77
Being on good terms with relatives	58.14	20.44	10.00**	20.43	6.25***	6.25	21.68	3.29**
Average	47.86	12.55	1.62	9.77		−1.25	10.59

¹% self-other difference: mean values significantly different from zero (one sample t test) are marked with asterisks (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001).

²Ratio of optimists to pessimists: values significantly different from 1 (chance distribution, χ² test) are marked with asterisks (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001).