Table 1.
Summary of variables used in the analysis, unpartnered widows aged 65 and over by region, European Social Survey Rounds 1–7 (2002–2014)
| Variables | North‐Western Europe | Southern Europe | Balkans | Eastern Europe | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child in household (%) | |||||
| No child | 88.9 | 65.3 | 59.7 | 68.5 | 75.1 |
| Son(s) only | 6.4 | 16.9 | 24.4 | 14.7 | 12.7 |
| Daughter(s) | 4.8 | 17.8 | 16.0 | 16.9 | 12.2 |
| Educational level (%) | |||||
| Less than lower secondary education (ISCED 0 and 1) | 39.6 | 88.3 | 26.0 | 23.9 | 40.4 |
| Lower secondary education completed (ISCED 2) | 26.6 | 4.8 | 38.1 | 29.3 | 25.2 |
| Upper secondary education completed (ISCED 3 and 4) | 23.3 | 3.9 | 28.7 | 31.4 | 23.6 |
| Tertiary education completed (ISCED 5 and 6) | 10.5 | 3.0 | 7.3 | 15.5 | 10.8 |
| How often socially meet with friends, relatives or colleagues (%) | |||||
| Once a month or less | 15.4 | 31.7 | 36.4 | 41.7 | 29.3 |
| Less than monthly to weekly | 32.2 | 24.1 | 34.1 | 30.5 | 30.5 |
| Several times a week | 37.0 | 19.9 | 19.2 | 17.6 | 25.7 |
| Every day | 15.3 | 24.3 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 14.5 |
| Anyone to discuss intimate and personal matters with (%) | |||||
| No | 13.4 | 20.4 | 27.3 | 21.7 | 18.7 |
| Yes | 86.6 | 79.6 | 72.7 | 78.3 | 81.3 |
| Take part in social activities compared to others of same age (%) | |||||
| Less than most | 40.3 | 62.2 | 55.6 | 52.5 | 49.4 |
| About the same | 36.1 | 31.4 | 32.7 | 35.8 | 35.0 |
| More than most | 23.6 | 6.4 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 15.6 |
| Hampered in daily activities by illness/disability/infirmity (percent) | |||||
| Yes, a lot | 15.6 | 16.3 | 20.3 | 24.0 | 19.2 |
| Yes, to some extent | 33.8 | 36.6 | 36.6 | 47.0 | 39.2 |
| No | 50.6 | 47.1 | 43.0 | 28.9 | 41.6 |
| Age (years) | |||||
| Mean | 77.5 | 76.6 | 74.9 | 75.0 | 76.2 |
| SD | 7.2 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
| How happy are you? (scores 0 to 10) | |||||
| Mean | 7.4 | 5.7 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 6.3 |
| SD | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| How satisfied with life as a whole? (scores 0 to 10) | |||||
| Mean | 7.4 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.1 |
| SD | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Sample size | 7,200 | 2,914 | 1,757 | 6,617 | 18,488 |
Note. Distributions and summary statistics based on weighted values. Sample sizes are unweighted numbers. Sample size includes covariate missing values. ISCED = International Standard Classification of Education. Source: European Social Survey Rounds 1–7.