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Perceived quality of life in Taiwan and Hong Kong: an intra-culture comparison

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Abstract.

Cross-society comparisons have become increasingly important to the study of the perceived quality of life. A major critique of these studies, however, is the lack of attention to intra-culture variation. This paper examines how subjective quality of life differs, at both societal and individual levels, between Taiwan and Hong Kong, two Chinese societies that share their cultural heritage but vary in their social and political systems. We draw upon data from synchronic surveys conducted in November 2000 in Taiwan (n=1222) and Hong Kong (n=1044). Ordinal regression analyses confirm that, for both societies, reported satisfaction at the societal level contributes to the variance in individuals’ quality of life. Moreover, the perceived fairness with regard to personal effort within the opportunity structure provided by the society also significantly affects an individual’s quality of life. Different factors accounting for quality of life variation in Taiwan and in Hong Kong are discussed. This paper suggests that for the intra-cultural, cross-society comparisons on quality of life, inclusion of various societal level indicators is not only important, but the subjective perception of the fairness that society also contributes a significant effect.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Survey Research, Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences, Academia Sinica, 128 Sec. 2, Academia Road, Taipei, 115, Taiwan

    Pei-Shan Liao, Yang-Chih Fu & Chin-Chun Yi

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  1. Pei-Shan Liao
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  2. Yang-Chih Fu
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  3. Chin-Chun Yi
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Correspondence to Pei-Shan Liao.

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Liao, PS., Fu, YC. & Yi, CC. Perceived quality of life in Taiwan and Hong Kong: an intra-culture comparison. J Happiness Stud 6, 43–67 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-004-1753-6

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