Staying Down with the Joneses
Differences in the Psychological Cost of Unemployment across Neighbourhoods
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2374504 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Howley (0000-0001-9588-0677, University of Leeds, corresponding author), Sarah Knight (0000-0002-5013-9364, University of York) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1097-1117 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Work Employment and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0950-0170 • E-ISSN: 1469-8722 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09500170211003483 |
| OpenAlex | W3159375168 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 44 |
This article demonstrates how the unemployment of neighbours can ameliorate the psychological costs of unemployment. In support of this premise, we find that while unemployment is always harmful, the gap in psychological well-being between employed and unemployed individuals is much less in relatively high unemployment neighbourhoods (particularly so for males and relatively older cohorts). Our proposed explanation is that people employ close points of social comparison with the result that any feelings of shame or embarrassment associated with unemployment are mitigated when surrounded by unemployed neighbours. One potentially important labour market implication of these findings is that it may be more difficult than anticipated to transition some people out of unemployment in high unemployment neighbourhoods. Apart from highlighting the place-specific nature of the relationship between unemployment and psychological well-being, our findings also highlight the importance of non-pecuniary factors, such as the social norm to work, in explaining the substantive negative psychological impact of unemployment
Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Embarrassment · Feeling · Happiness · Keeping up with the Joneses · Labour economics · Premise · Shame · Unemployment · Employment and Welfare Studies · Health disparities and outcomes · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology
Labelled unemployed
Beyond the mind
Does the unemployment rate moderate the well‐being disadvantage of the unemployed? Within‐region estimates from the European Social Survey
Psychological distress and socio-economic consequences of unemployment
Unhappiness among the unemployed
Mapping social landscapes
Life satisfaction and unemployment—The role of gender attitudes and work identity
The Effects of the Covid‐19 Pandemic on School‐to‐School Transitions. A Study of Lower Secondary School Graduates
Will I Have to Be Reborn? Collective Sensemaking of Stigma among White-Collar Inmates
Impacts of Extended Unemployment on Life Satisfaction of Young Adults Through Social Exclusion and Loneliness
The Thought of Work
The Mystery of Regional Unemployment Differentials
The psychosocial quality of work determines whether employment has benefits for mental health
Neighborhood Effects on the Long-Term Well-Being of Low-Income Adults
Empathy
The General Health Questionnaire
The Role of Social Work Norms in Job Searching and Subjective Well-Being
Multidimensional properties of the General Health Questionnaire
Unemployment as a Social Norm
Well-being over time in Britain and the USA
Stigma
Boon or Bane? Others' Unemployment, Well-Being and Job Insecurity
Economic Action and Social Structure
Work, employment, and unemployment
Do local unemployment rates modify the effect of individual labour market status on psychological distress
Life satisfaction and the economic and social characteristics of neighbourhoods
Employment and unemployment
Regional value differences in Europe and the social consequences of divorce
You’re Fired! the Causal Negative Effect of Entry Unemployment on Life Satisfaction
Unhappiness and Unemployment
Are there Geographical Variations in the Psychological Cost of Unemployment in South Africa
The Origin, Development, and Regulation of Norms
Social Norms
Who Needs Good Neighbors
Poverty Talk
Rewarding Work
Employment status and subjective well-being
Non-Financial Employment Motivation and Well-Being in Different Labour Market Situations
The Social Norm to Work and the Well-Being of the Short- and Long-Term Unemployed
Gender, Unemployment and Subjective Well-Being
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 9 |