Associations of objective and subjective relative deprivation with health, happiness, and life satisfaction

Relative deprivation is a critical mechanism for understanding how income inequality affects mental health. However, few studies have compared the effects of objective and subjective relative deprivation on health outcomes. This study compared how objective and subjective relative deprivation and their interaction relate to human flourishing measures, including health, happiness, life satisfaction, social relationships, and financial stability.

This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 1592 adults in Taiwan. The objective and subjective relative deprivation were measured using the Yitzhaki Index and the Personal Relative Deprivation Scale-Revised (PRDS-R), respectively. We conducted least-squares regression models to investigate the associations between these relative deprivation measures and human flourishing outcomes.

The correlation between the Yitzhaki Index and PRDS-R was 0.16 (p < 0.001). After controlling for absolute income and covariates, the regression models showed that objective and subjective relative deprivation was negatively associated with all six human flourishing outcomes. Notably, subjective relative deprivation is strongly associated with outcomes than objective relative deprivation. Also, the Yitzhaki Index remained adversely associated with all human flourishing outcomes after accounting for the PRDS-R. Furthermore, the interaction between the Yitzhaki Index and PRDS-R was associated with additional risks to well-being, particularly affecting health, happiness, life satisfaction, and financial stability.

Both objective and subjective relative deprivation were negatively associated with multiple dimensions of human flourishing. Policies aimed at addressing relative deprivation and reducing income inequality could contribute to higher levels of health, happiness, life satisfaction, social relationships, and economic stability.