Acculturation to accumulation? Variation in the income-subjective well-being relationship by language among Latine respondents in the U.S.

Abstract

Five decades of continuous research have revealed the relationship between income and subjective well-being (SWB) to be complex and multifaceted. Recent studies demonstrate significant variation in the importance of income for well-being across a variety of social contexts. A portion of this work has focused on Latin America, which contains some of the happiest countries in the world despite having relatively low standards of living and prosperity. Explanations for this paradox have usually focused on the role of culture, suggesting that income may be less relevant for shaping well-being in cultures that place more importance on strong ties to family, friends, and community rather than financial prosperity. The current study investigates whether the same pattern of findings holds in the U.S. among more and less acculturated Latine respondents in Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data after controlling for other key factors that influence SWB. Results reinforce the potential role of culture in moderating the income-happiness relationship, highlight the importance of not treating Latine people as a monolithic group in social science and public health research, and help address why findings regarding the relationship between income and SWB vary so much across populations and methodological approaches.