title: The impact of differences between subjective and objective social class on life satisfaction among the Korean population in early old age: Analysis of Korean longitudinal study on aging.
abstract: Several previous studies have established the relationship between the effects of socioeconomic status or subjective social strata on life satisfaction. However, no previous study has examined the relationship between social class and life satisfaction in terms of a disparity between subjective and objective social status.
  
  
  
  To investigate the relationship between differences in subjective and objective social class and life satisfaction.
  
  
  
  Data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging with 8252 participants aged 45 or older was used. Life satisfaction was measured by the question, "How satisfied are you with your quality of life?" The main independent variable was differences in objective (income and education) and subjective social class, which was classified according to nine categories (ranging from high-high to low-low). This association was investigated by linear mixed model due to two waves data nested within individuals.
  
  
  
  Lower social class (income, education, subjective social class) was associated with dissatisfaction. The impact of objective and subjective social class on life satisfaction varied according to the level of differences in objective and subjective social class. Namely, an individual's life satisfaction declined as objective social classes decreased at the same level of subjective social class (i.e., HH, MH, LH). In both dimensions of objective social class (education and income), an individual's life satisfaction declined as subjective social class decreased by one level (i.e., HH, HM, HL).
  
  
  
  Our findings indicated that social supports is needed to improve the life satisfaction among the population aged 45 or more with low social class. The government should place increased focus on policies that encourage not only the life satisfaction of the Korean elderly with low objective social class, but also subjective social class.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health Services Research, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Institute on Aging, Ajou University Medical Center, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health Services Research, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: ecpark@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Eun-Cheol
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012923:Social Class; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Differences; Life satisfaction; Objective social class; Subjective social class