Table 1.
Descriptive statistics of the main variables
| Variables | Mean | S.D. | Min. | Max. | N |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dependent variable | |||||
| SWB (1–5)a | 3.61 | 0.86 | 1 | 5 | 32,205 |
| Mechanism variables | |||||
| Income (natural logarithm of equivalized household income, yuan)b | 8.92 | 1.11 | 1.64 | 15.80 | 28,920 |
| Health (1–5, “very unhealthy” to “very healthy”)c | 3.51 | 1.14 | 1 | 5 | 28,800 |
| Divorce (1 = divorced)d | 0.02 | 0.14 | 0 | 1 | 32,201 |
| Widow (1 = widowed)e | 0.08 | 0.27 | 0 | 1 | 32,201 |
| Job (1 = employed)f | 0.65 | 0.48 | 0 | 1 | 32,139 |
| Social (1–5, “very rare” to “very close”)g | 2.51 | 1.11 | 1 | 5 | 27,147 |
| Control variables | |||||
| Gender (1 = male)h | 0.48 | 0.50 | 0 | 1 | 32,205 |
| Agei | 48.00 | 15.68 | 18 | 103 | 32,205 |
| Han (1 = Han ethnicity)j | 0.90 | 0.30 | 0 | 1 | 32,205 |
| Middle (1 = middle school)k | 0.29 | 0.46 | 0 | 1 | 32,205 |
| High (1 = high school and above)l | 0.25 | 0.43 | 0 | 1 | 32,205 |
| Urban (1 = urban residents)m | 0.47 | 0.50 | 0 | 1 | 32,205 |
aThe dependent variable SWB is self-reported happiness ranging from 1–5. For mechanism variables, bIncome is the natural logarithm of the equivalized household income adjusted to the level in the year 2005 based on provinces’ annual consumer price index (CPI); cHealth is a self-evaluated health status (1–5); dDivorce is 1 for divorcees and 0 otherwise; eWidow is 1 for widows and 0 otherwise; fJob is 1 for the employed and 0 for the unemployed and those not in the labor markets; gSocial refers to the frequency of contact with friends and relatives (1–5). For major individual controls, hGender is 1 for male; iAge confirms adult respondents in CGSS; jHan ethnicity; kAttainment of secondary-school education level; lEducational level of high-school or above; and mLiving in an urban area. All data are from the CGSS