The Race Paradox in Subjective Well-Being: Relationships with Social Support, Social Engagement, and Age

Background and Purpose. Subjective well-being (SWB) has been a prominent topic in aging studies, probably because of its significant contribution to health and longevity; however, racial difference in SWB may not be as easily observed as in physical health. Despite extensive research that demonstrates the associations of social support and social engagement with SWB, there is limited evidence concerned with how these associations vary by racial groups in later life. Race is a social status that affects life chances to develop social network resources, and significant racial differences exist in the characteristics of social networks. This study aims to assess racial differences in subjective well-being (SWB), especially the racial crossover effect in SWB, and to examine whether the pathways of social support and social engagement to SWB vary by racial groups. The study will improve our understanding of the race happiness paradox, which was documented in a local survey. 

Methods. Two samples were used in our analyses. A local sample was drawn from the 2014 Survey of Older Adults in Allegheny County (SOAAC), and a national sample from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). The local sample (N=1,035) and the HRS sample (N=7,718) included adults aged 55 and older.  We first compared SWB indicators, i.e., life satisfaction and happiness between non-Hispanic Whites and Blacks. We then evaluated the extent to which race, sociodemographics, health, social engagement, and social support explained the variances in SWB, and lastly, examined the moderation effects of race on the relationships of SWB with age, social support, and social engagement.

Results. There was no racial difference in SWB; after equalizing social resources and health, non-Hispanic Blacks had significantly higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness than White peers. Although the findings about the relationships with social engagement were not consistent across samples, social support was significantly related to SWB, and positive social support was more important to Whites than to Blacks in predicting life satisfaction. In addition, a race crossover effect existed, that is, older Blacks at age 80 or older had higher SWB than Whites.

Conclusions and Implications. Our study contributes to the literature by clarifying the equivocal and controversial findings regarding racial differences in SWB. Analyses of two study samples indicate that there are no differences in life satisfaction and happiness between non-Hispanic Black and White older adults. Particularly, a racial crossover exists, that is, older Blacks, especially at age of 80 or older, are more satisfied and happier than White peers. Further, Blacks have even higher levels of SWB after adjusting for social resources variables. The factors related to SWB were different across two study samples; but in general, respondents at oldest age, with better self-rated health, perceiving more positive social support and less negative strain reported better SWB than their counterparts. Findings underscore the importance of social support and social engagement in promoting older adults’ well-being. Future research should investigate other potential mechanisms among Black older adults to explain their relatively better subjective well-being.