TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Goerke, Laszlo
AU  - Pannenberg, Markus
        TI  - Direct Evidence for Income Comparisons and Subjective Well-Being across Reference Groups
        PY  - 2015/Sep/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 9395
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp9395
        AB  - This note provides evidence for the relationship between income comparisons and subjective well-being (SWB), using novel German data on self-reported comparison intensity and perceived relative income for seven reference groups. We find negative correlations between comparison intensity and SWB for colleagues, people in the same occupation and friends, but not for other reference groups, such as neighbours. Work-related income comparisons are mostly upwards and there is a strong negative correlation between perceiving to earn less than the reference group and SWB.
        KW  - income comparisons
KW  - German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)
KW  - relative income
KW  - subjective well-being
        ER  -