e-living D11.4b Information Society Technologies, Social Capital and Quality of Life

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1 e-living D11.4b Infrmatin Sciety Technlgies, Scial Capital and Quality f Life Dr Ben Andersn (Chimera, University f Essex) Abstract This reprt extends the previus analysis by using the lngitudinal data prvided by the wave 1 and 2 surveys t analyse crrelates f perceived Quality f Life (QL) change ver the 12 mnth perid between surveys. The first sectin f the reprt describes verall changes in quality f life scres whilst the secnd explres which elements cntribute mst t changes in verall quality f life. The results indicate that satisfactin with cmmunicatins with friends is a key cmpnent. The final sectin then develps a series f statistical mdels that analyses IST related changes in satisfactin with cmmunicatins with friends as a cmpnent f QL. The reprt cncludes with a discussin f the implicatins fr plicy with particular reference t the e-eurpe agenda and ptential RTD actin. The views expressed in this reprt are the authrs and d nt necessarily reflect thse f the Eurpean Cmmissin. Neither the Eurpean Cmmissin nr any persn acting n behalf f the Cmmissin is respnsible fr the use that might be made f the fllwing infrmatin. The e-living Cnsrtium e-living: Life in a Digital Eurpe, an EU Fifth Framewrk Prject [IST ]

2 Table f Cntents 1 Intrductin Data Cnsideratins Changing Quality f Life Descriptive results Quality f Life and ISTs A simple lngitudinal mdel f perceived Quality f Life UK Italy Germany Nrway Bulgaria Israel Summary Scial Capital, ISTs and Quality f Life Data cnsideratins The mdels Discussin and Implicatins Overall Quality f Life mdels Scial Capital, IST and Quality f Life Mdel Cnclusin Bibligraphy Page 2 f 25

3 Executive Summary This reprt extends the previus analysis by using the lngitudinal data prvided by the wave 1 and 2 surveys t analyse crrelates f QL change ver the 12 mnth perid between surveys. The first sectin f the reprt describes verall changes in quality f life scres whilst the secnd explres which elements cntribute mst t changes in verall quality f life. The results indicate that satisfactin with cmmunicatins with friends is a key cmpnent. The final results sectin then develps a series f statistical mdels that analyses IST related changes in satisfactin with cmmunicatins with friends as a cmpnent f QL. The reprt cncludes with a discussin f the implicatins fr plicy with particular reference t the e-eurpe agenda and ptential RTD actins. This reprt presents descriptive data n changes in quality f life frm 2001 t 2002 in the six cuntries surveyed. It shws hw simplistic cnceptins f ISTs cntributing t verall QL are misplaced. In n cuntry did acquiring a mbile phne, Internet access r bradband internet have any psitive effect n verall quality f life. Indeed in sme cuntries there was a negative relatinship. Instead changes in envirnmental cnditins, perceptins f free time, cmmunicatins with friends and wrk cnditins (fr thse in wrk) all played are mre significant part in changing perceived quality f life. In additin there was little supprt fr the standard macr-ecnmic assumptin that mving int emplyment necessarily increases quality f life. This was true in Nrway and Bulgaria but the ppsite was true in Italy. We then extend the analysis t a fcus n satisfactin with cmmunicatins with friends and shw that, again, based n these data and mdels at least there is nt yet much evidence that ISTs can cntribute t this element f quality f life in all cuntries. Hwever due t limitatins in the e-living dataset these mdels are extremely sparse and have lw explanatry pwer and given the recent histry f ISTs in supprting interpersnal cmmunicatin this reprt suggests that further explratin f this area is required. Of curse these effects are based n just 2 data pints cllected 12 mnths apart. All events, including thse such as acquiring bradband Internet access r retiring frm paid wrk, culd have happened nly within the last 12 mnths and thus any effects measured will be shrt-term. It may well be that a lnger term study wuld indicate lnger term increases r decreases in quality f life as, fr example, use f ISTs fr scial cmmunicatin increases ver time. The results reprted here shuld therefre be viewed with cautin they are nt definitive but merely pint the way t further studies that are required if plicy making in the e-eurpe scial agenda is t becme mre evidence based. There is als clearly scpe fr further analysis f this data by extending the mdels t include changes in IST usage behaviurs such as increased use f nline medical r emplyment infrmatin r educatinal/library services. These will be the subject f subsequent reprts and will help t further assess the likely value f the e-eurpe agenda in these areas. Page 3 f 25

4 1 Intrductin The cnclusins f the Eurpean Cuncil s Lisbn summit f 2000 clearly state that a shift t a knwledge based ecnmy will nt nly be a pwerful engine fr grwth, cmpetitiveness and jbs but in additin will be capable f imprving citizens quality f life (FP6 IST WP2003-4, paragraph 8) In additin the e-eurpe 2005 agenda dcument states: The infrmatin sciety has much untapped ptential t imprve prductivity and the quality f life. This ptential is grwing due t the technlgical develpments f bradband and multi-platfrm access, i.e. the pssibility t cnnect t the Internet via ther means than the PC, such as digital TV and 3G. These develpments are pening up significant ecnmic and scial pprtunities. New services, applicatins and cntent will create new markets and prvide the means t increase prductivity and hence grwth and emplyment thrughut the ecnmy. They will als prvide citizens with mre cnvenient access t infrmatin and cmmunicatin tls. (CEC, 2002, p2) This statement, n which much f the subsequent agenda depends, is intended t shw hw IST investment can supprt the Lisbn bjectives f increased prductivity and scial chesin thrugh increased ecnmic and scial participatin. The agenda then presents targets with respect t six areas: 1. Mdern interactive nline public services 2. e-learning, especially re-skilling fr emplyment 3. n-line health services fr bth citizens and practitiners 4. A dynamic business envirnment 5. A secure infrmatin infrastructure 6. Bradband fr all Hwever the linkage between these bjectives and the imprvement in quality f life is nt well articulated and it is t this linkage that we nw turn. There is grwing evidence that ne f the key characteristics f the infrmatin and cmmunicatins technlgy revlutin is nt s much access t knwledge r infrmatin but access t ther peple as the explsin in and revenues generated by persn-t-persn cmmunicatin services attests. It has lng been recgnised that resurces accessed thrugh inter-persnal and cmmunity-based scial relatinships (knwn as scial capital ) can be critical energisers f scial and ecnmic regeneratin and cntributrs t verall quality f life. Fr example recent results shw that increases in scial participatin (scial capital) can have significant mediating effects n mental and physical health, especially fr thse nt in wrk and especially fr wmen althugh there is little evidence that increasing scial capital can negate mre fundamental structural inequities in health (Rse and Pevalin, 2003). Li et al (2003) fund that thse in disadvantaged psitins are mre likely t btain help thrugh infrmal neighburhd relatins whilst thse mre advantaged tended t rely n nn-lcalised scial netwrks and civic engagement. They als fund that sme aspects f scial capital have strng assciatins with scial trust and quality f life and, perhaps mst imprtantly f all, that infrmal frms f scial capital (neighburing, family and friends netwrks etc) have a significantly greater explanatry pwer in explaining differences in QL than frmal types f scial capital such as civic engagement r frmal participatin. T bring this analysis t the IST cntext, the e-living Deliverable 7.4 Age Gender and Scial Capital A Crss Sectinal Analysis (Ling et al, 2002) intrduced the idea that scial capital, perceived quality f life (QL) and usage f Infrmatin Sciety Technlgies (ISTs) might be linked. As nted in that reprt, ur cnceptual mdel is as fllws: A persn s QL scre depends n a range f variables including several types f scial capital, sci-ecnmic situatin, lifestage/lifestyle, persnality and attitudes. Sme ISTs may mediate sme f these variables. Thus the ISTs themselves are nt necessarily significant factrs, but they may enhance behaviurs that are assciated with increased QL. [p 25] Clearly this is a very simple mdel f the cmpnents f quality f life and nt all f them have been captured in the e-living survey due t time and space cnstraints. Hwever it draws attentin t the fact that the instantiatin f this mdel in the e-eurpe agenda/lisbn bjectives fcuses purely n ecnmic (emplyment grwth) cnsideratins. Page 4 f 25

5 The crss-sectinal analysis reprted in Ling et al (2002) shwed that in each surveyed cuntry the best predictrs f verall quality f life were gender, emplyment status (ntably being lng term sick r disabled), marital status, infrmal scial leisure, husehld incme and the three ther QL elements (2-4 belw). These results are partially cnfirmed by Fahey et al s review f Eurpean Quality f Life research results and their analysis f the Eurpean values survey (Fahey et al, 2003). Further ur results shwed that IST wnership and usage was nt directly related t QL scre in any statistically significant way thus cnfirming Punie et al s suspicin that this wuld nt be the case (Punie et al, 2003). This reprt extends the previus analysis by using the lngitudinal data prvided by the wave 1 and 2 surveys t analyse crrelates f QL change ver the 12 mnth perid between surveys. The first sectin f the reprt describes verall changes in quality f life scres whilst the secnd explres which elements cntribute mst t changes in verall quality f life. The results indicate that satisfactin with cmmunicatins with friends is a key cmpnent. The final sectin then develps a series f statistical mdels that analyses IST related changes in satisfactin with cmmunicatins with friends as a cmpnent f QL. The reprt cncludes with a discussin f the implicatins fr plicy with particular reference t the e-eurpe agenda and ptential RTD actins. 2 Data Cnsideratins The e-living QL scale cmprises 5 different elements with which respndents were asked t agree/disagree via a Likert scale: 1. Overall the cnditins f my life are excellent. 2. I have enugh free time t d what I want. 3. The envirnmental cnditins in my area are gd. 4. I have gd cmmunicatins with friends. And fr thse in paid wrk nly: 5. In mst ways my wrking life is clse t ideal. These items were repeated unchanged in wave 1 and wave 2 prviding a cnstant measure f perceived quality f life. As in the previus reprt we fcus here n items 1 t 4 and in particular n 1 and 4. We fcus n item 1 as it prvides an verall QL scre t which the next 3 items might be expected t cntribute. We fcus then n item 4 as it reflects an element f QL that mst clsely relates t scial capital and als, by cnsidering the part f ISTs in cmmunicatin, t ISTs as well. The e-living wave 1 analysis emphasised that whilst these results tell us what factrs may be assciated with higher r lwer QL, they d allw us t infer which factrs might change QL. This requires lngitudinal data which can measure the difference between QL scres at different times and analyse the relative effects f ther changes n the increase r decrease in QL. This reprt prvides exactly this analysis using waves 1 and 2 f the e-living data. It shuld be nted that this 2-wave sample is nt ideal fr these purpses fr several reasns including: Any apparent change in QL scres ver a single 12 mnth perid may be measurement errr rather than any srt f real change r trend and it is nt pssible t distinguish between the tw, Micr-scial transitins that might lead t changes in QL scres are nt cmmn and s there may be few bservatins f thse wh, fr example, became unemplyed r lst a partner during the perid making analysis reliant n small numbers in each cuntry, Overall we wuld nt expect much change in QL scres in this perid in any case s the best predictrs f wave 2 scres are likely t be scres in wave 1. Hwever, setting aside these cautins the data prvides limited scpe fr an initial analysis f the lngitudinal cmpnents f quality f life with respect t scial capital and IST use. 3 Changing Quality f Life This sectin prvides descriptive data n the changes in quality f life scres frm wave 1 t wave 2 and prvides simple analysis f the relatinship between these changes and ISTs. Page 5 f 25

6 3.1 Descriptive results Figure 1 shws that the verall distributins f respnses t the main quality f life items changes little frm wave 1 t wave 2 althugh there is a slight hint that scres fr cmmunicatin with friends have decreased slightly. These distributins, which were nt presented in the wave 1 analysis shw bimdal distributins fr free time but strngly mdal fr cmmunicatins with friends. Hwever we shuld nte that these charts aggregate cuntry data and the different cuntries may exhibit different respnse patterns. Overall the cnditins f my life are excellent I have enugh free time t d what I want Strngly disagree Strngly disagree Slightly disagree Slightly disagree Neither agree nr disagree Slightly agree wave 2 wave 1 Neither agree nr disagree Slightly agree wave 2 wave 1 Strngly agree Strngly agree Dn't Knw Dn't Knw % % The envirnmental cnditins in my area are gd I have gd cmmunicatins with friends Strngly disagree Strngly disagree Slightly disagree Slightly disagree Neither agree nr disagree Slightly agree wave 2 wave 1 Neither agree nr disagree Slightly agree wave 2 wave 1 Strngly agree Strngly agree Dn't Knw Dn't Knw % % Figure 1: Distributins f respnses t the main perceived quality f life items by thse interviewed in bth in waves 1 and 2 (unweighted, n = 7203). Accrdingly Figure 2 shws the verall distributins f increase r decrease in quality f life scres in each cuntry. These results indicate that fr the mst part the mdal change is 0 as we wuld expect. The exceptin t this is Germany where there is a nticeable negative asymmetry t the distributins fr every quality f life indicatr. This suggests that many Germans had a lwer perceived quality f life in 2002 than in 2001 n a range f indicatrs. N ther cuntries share this phenmenn althugh it is nticeable that changes in a number f the indicatrs are mre widely spread in sme cuntries than thers. In the UK fr example very few peple s cmmunicatin with friends scre changed but the verall QL scres are flattened suggesting sme change in these variables. In Italy all scres shw mre r less identical distributins but the flattened curve suggests that there may be sme increases and/r decreases fr each element. The pattern in Germany has been discussed and that f Nrway shws that fr mst peple their cmmunicatin with friends and satisfactin with the envirnment scres remained unchanged. Bulgarians exhibit a similar distributin f change t the UK and Israel is similar t Italy. Page 6 f 25

7 UK Italy 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Germany Nrway 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Bulgaria Israel 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% % 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Figure 2: Distributins f lngitudinal change in perceived quality f life scres (wave 2 wave 1) fr each cuntry. A negative scre indicates a decrease frm wave 1 t 2. Page 7 f 25

8 UK [n=1136] Italy [n=1137] Germany [n=1146] Nrway [n=1207] Bulgaria [n=1411] Israel [n=1042] Overall the cnditins f my life are excellent I have enugh free time t d what I want The envirnmental cnditins in my area are gd I have gd cmmunicatins with friends Figure 3: Lngitudinal change in perceived quality f life scres (mean f wave 2 wave 1) fr each cuntry. A negative scre indicates a decrease frm wave 1 t 2, errr bars are +/- 2 SE. Errr bars spanning 0 indicate n significant change. Figure 3 highlights a number f statistically significant changes in the verall QL scres in a number f cuntries between waves 1 and 2. Mst bviusly it cnfirms that all scres decrease fr German respndents. Overall QL has increased in the UK, Italy, Nrway and Bulgaria whilst the scre relating t free time has increased in Nrway and Bulgaria. The scre fr envirnmental cnditins has increased in the UK, Italy, Bulgaria and Israel whilst the scre fr cmmunicatin with friends has fallen in Nrway but increased in Bulgaria. Whilst it wuld be tempting t cnclude that verall quality f life has decreased in Germany and increased in Bulgaria between waves 1 and 2, perhaps due t the perceived scial and ecnmic utlk, it shuld be remembered that all these results depend purely n a 2 wave survey and may represent simple respnse variance tw pints d nt make a curve. It is als wrth nting that that sme f these patterns were nt bvius frm Figure 2 which reflect the mdal distributins rather than the means f the differences. The latter may be skewed by a number f large changes fr a relatively small number f peple between the waves 1 and 2 scres. 3.2 Quality f Life and ISTs Accrding t ur mdel we d nt expect t see a direct relatinship between the use and adptin f ISTs and verall quality f life. Hwever it is useful t remind urselves f this pint by prviding sme limited descriptive analysis. Figure 4 shws a simple analysis f the mean change in the individual perceived quality f life scres fr thse UK wave 1 respndents wh did nt have hme Internet access but wh had acquired it by wave 2. We can see that thse wh had acquired Internet access in their husehld did nt reprt a statistically significant increase in any quality f life scre except fr gd cmmunicatins with friends and this result may nt be reliable given the lcatin f the errr bars. Interestingly the cntrl grup wh did nt acquire Internet access reprted an increase in satisfactin with their envirnmental cnditins and their verall quality f life at wave 2 cmpared t wave 1. Figure 5 shws a similar analysis fr thse UK wave 1 nn-mbile wners wh had acquired a mbile phne by wave 2. Given that the grup f peple in the UK wh did nt have a mbile phne at wave 1 is relatively small (the 32% wh were laggards ) and als biased twards lder citizens (see Raban et al, 2002) it is nt surprising that the errr bars are large. Hwever thse wh acquired a mbile phne reprted an increase in their perceptin f their free time fr reasns that are nt at all clear. It may be that these respndents felt mre in cntrl f their time r culd better rganise their free time using their mbile but this argument is tenuus at best. Page 8 f 25

9 w2-w1: My wrking life is clse t ideal w2-w1: I have gd cmmunicatins with friends w2-w1: The envirnmental cnditins in my area are gd w2-w1: I have enugh free time t d what I want w2-w1: Overall the cnditins f my life are excellent N net at wave 1, net at wave 2 N net at wave 1 and 2 Figure 4: Mean differences in QL scres fr wave 1 UK respndents wh acquired hme internet access by wave 2. A negative scre indicates a decrease frm wave 1 t 2, errr bars are +/- 2 SE. Errr bars spanning 0 indicate n significant change. N = 469 (n net), 120 (gt net) w2-w1: My wrking life is clse t ideal w2-w1: I have gd cmmunicatins with friends w2-w1: The envirnmental cnditins in my area are gd w2-w1: I have enugh free time t d what I want w2-w1: Overall the cnditins f my life are excellent N mbile at wave 1, mbile at wave 2 N mbile at wave 1 and 2 Figure 5: Mean differences in QL scres fr wave 1 UK respndents wh acquired a mbile phne by wave 2. A negative scre indicates a decrease frm wave 1 t 2, errr bars are +/- 2 SE. Errr bars spanning 0 indicate n significant change. N = 77 (n mbile), 62 (gt mbile) Page 9 f 25

10 w2-w1: My wrking life is clse t ideal w2-w1: I have gd cmmunicatins with friends w2-w1: The envirnmental cnditins in my area are gd w2-w1: I have enugh free time t d what I want w2-w1: Overall the cnditins f my life are excellent PSTN at wave 1, BB at wave 2 PSTN at wave 1 and 2 Figure 6: Mean differences in QL scres fr wave 1 UK narrwband users wh adpted bradband by wave 2. A negative scre indicates a decrease frm wave 1 t 2, errr bars are +/- 2 SE. Errr bars spanning 0 indicate n significant change. N = 400 (PSTN), 38 (gt BB) Figure 6 shws a similar analysis fr thse UK wave 1 narrwband Internet users wh had acquired bradband internet by wave 2 and cmpares them with thse wh remained with narrwband Internet access. It can be seen that thse wh acquired bradband Internet in the hme did nt reprt an increase in quality f wrk life, nr f having gd cmmunicatin with friends. They als reprt n change in their envirnmental cnditins nr t their verall quality f life. Hwever they d reprt an increase in satisfactin with their free time. It is pssible t argue that having bradband internet access might prvide at least the perceptin that adpters have mre free time but the argument is rather tenuus and wuld be an unsafe cnclusin given that adpting bradband might well be assciated with ther life changes which increase a persn s free time. Unfrtunately the small value f n in this analysis increases the errr bars fr the bradband adpters. With a larger sample we may find that that bradband adpters reprted a statistically significant increase in satisfactin with scial cmmunicatin and the relatinship between this and bradband wuld be easier t argue in terms f the ptential supprt fr scial cmmunicatin thrugh the always n and anytime use f applicatins such as and instant messaging. In additin there is a methdlgical flaw with this apprach. It assumes that thse wh acquired a mbile phne r bradband Interne access are in all ther respects identical t thse wh did nt. Given the knwn uneven sci-demgraphics and tempral distributins f mbiles and bradband this is nt a safe assumptin. What is needed (apart frm an rder f magnitude increase in sample size) is a lngitudinal mdel which can cntrl fr the effects f ther life events which might effect quality f life, fr measured r unmeasured differences between adpters and nn-adpters and which can analyse the effects f changing IST usage n quality f life utcmes in each cuntry separately given their different lcatins n the diffusin curves. The next sectin prvides just such a mdel. Page 10 f 25

11 4 A simple lngitudinal mdel f perceived Quality f Life PUBLIC In this sectin we turn frm the descriptive analysis t the presentatin f a simple lngitudinal mdel f changing quality f life. Using the wave 1 and wave 2 data we analyse the effect f changing quality f life elements (items 2 t 5 abve) n changing verall quality f life (item 1). This analyse enables us t see which elements have the mst effect n verall perceived quality f life and we develp fur mdels each mre cmplex than the previus ne. These mdels use difference scres t cntrl fr unmeasured variatin between individuals. That is, by lking at the change between bservatins and nt the magnitude f the scre at each bservatin (wave 1 and 2) we d nt need t include a range f ther cntrl variables which are cnstant acrss waves and we als cntrl fr individual attributes that are cnstant but nt measured. This apprach is recmmended by Alisn (1990) as specifically f use in the case where nnrandm grups can be split pst-hc int tw treatment grups. Given ur interest in treatments such as acquiring Internet access r starting t use this methd is used here. The alternative regressr variable apprach which predicts t2 values based n t1 values f the same variable and ther t1 variables and t1-t2 transitins may prduce similar results and is left t future wrk. Accrdingly we include nly tw cnstant cntrl variables (age and gender 1 ). The rest f the variables measure changes in QL scre, activities r in transitins and are calculated as (w2 value wave 1 value) s that a negative difference value indicates a lwer scre at wave 2 than wave 1. Mdel 1 includes nly age and gender as cntrls and then the 3 general quality f life items. Mdel 2 is identical t mdel 1 but with the additin f the quality f wrk life item and s is limited just t thse in wrk. Mdel 3 is identical t 1 but includes a number f dummy variables relating t changes in emplyment and c-habitatin status and als variables measuring change in active leisure scres n 6 items which were asked at bth waves and which cllect frequency ( Hw ften d yu? ) data. These are: Play sprt, keep fit r g walking G t cinema, cncert, theatre r watch live sprt Have a meal in a restaurant, cafe r g fr a drink t a bar r club Attend activity grups such as evening classes Read newspapers, magazines r bks Meet with friends Mdel 4 is identical t 3 but includes dummies and change variables fr IST uptake and fr change in using ISTs frm wave 1 t wave 2. Nte that changes in incme are nt included in the mdels fr tw reasns. The first (and mst imprtant) is nn-respnse. If we include nly thse wh respnded t the ttal husehld incme item in each wave in rder t measure change frm wave 1 t wave 2 then n in each cuntry is reduced by up t 50% with the ntable exceptin f Bulgaria 2. The secnd is that we assume changes in incme t be small in the 12 mnth perid between waves 1 and 2 and that any such changes will nt have substantially effected QL in that same perid althugh f curse this assumptin is pen t analysis. We shuld als nte that sme transitins may have shrt term effects n QL which fade ver time and which are different fr different situatins. Fr example a divrce might fllw an acrimnius relatinship in which case perceived QL might initially increase fr either r bth ex-partners. On the ther hand it may decrease fr ne and nt fr the ther depending n the exact persnal circumstances and histry. Over time the QL scre may then increase r decrease as life circumstances change. Thus an event which initially caused a drp in QL may lead t a lnger term increase r vice versa. A similar prblem may als be evident in the intrductin f ISTs and is ften knwn in that cntext as the nvelty effect. What happens in the first 12 mnths f adptin may nt be a gd frecast f what will happen as the IST is dmesticated (Silverstne et al, 1992) int everyday life. As a result we may well nt 1 It may be f interest t repeat these mdels fr men vs wmen and fr cntrasting age grups t see if there any difference between genders r age grups but we leave that fr future wrk. 2 Perhaps illustrating the value f face-t-face interviews in eliciting respnse t incme items. Page 11 f 25

12 find cnsistent effects withut access t a lt f backgrund cntextual data abt each situatin. This clearly calls fr a lnger term study than the 2 wave survey reprted here and we return t this pint in the cnclusins t this reprt. 4.1 UK Table 1 reprts the results f all mdels fr the UK and shws that the mst cnsistent factrs effecting change in verall quality f life are change in perceptins f the envirnment and f cmmunicatin with friends. Bth f these shw psitive relatinships and the effect fr cmmunicatins with friends increases slightly in strength as the mdels becme mre cmplex. Having enugh free time shws an effect in mdels 1, 3 and 4 but is weaker. Increasing the quality f wrk life has a psitive effect in mdel 2 (the nly ne in which it is included) althugh this effect is nt as strng as changing envirnmental cnditins. Als f interest in mdel 2 is that the effect f increasing cmmunicatins with friends declines slightly in strength suggesting that at least part f the scial cmmunicatin element f quality f life is achieved thrugh wrk. Table 1: Lngitudinal mdel f the factrs assciated with change in verall quality f life scre (item 1) fr the UK Mdel 1 Mdel 2 Mdel 3 Mdel 4 Cntrls: Age ** 0.069* Gender Change in: Free time t d what I want 0.059* * 0.063* Envirnmental Cnditins are gd 0.163*** 0.181*** 0.167*** 0.166*** Gd cmmunicatins with friends 0.095*** ** 0.098** Quality f wrk life 0.14*** Change in frequency f: Playing sprt etc 0.062* Ging t cinema etc Having meal ut etc Ging t evening classes etc Reading newspapers and bks Meeting with friends Emplyment changes: Becme unemplyed Retired frm paid wrk Gt a jb Became 'hmemaker' Became full time student C-habitatin changes Was single, nw living as a cuple Was single, nw married Was in a cuple, nw single Widwed IST variables: Acquired bradband w1 - w Acquired internet access w1 - w Acquired a mbile phne w1-w Change in minutes per day watching TV Change in minutes per day using phne Change in minutes per day using internet Change in frequency f sent t friends and relatives Change in number f sent frm hme Change in frequency f phning friends and relatives N Adjusted r sq Ntes: OLS regressin, values are Beta (standardised c-efficient), + = p < 0.1, * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < Widwed includes thse wh were nt married but whse partner has died. Age is significant (weaker psitive effect) in mdels 3 and 4. Increasing the amunt f sprt, keeping fit r walking has a psitive effect in mdel 3 but n ther changes in leisure activities have an effect. Watching mre TV appears t have a negative effect f almst equal magnitude t decreasing perceptins f enugh free time but this result is nt significant at the 95% level. N emplyment r c-habitatin transitins r ther IST variables shw an effect in the UK althugh this may be due t small n in the transitin grups (nly 4 UK respndents became unemplyed fr example). It is wrth nting the imprtance f increasing the satisfactin with cmmunicatin with friends t increases in QL scres because it shws ne way in which ISTs might have sme direct effect n QL thrugh their Page 12 f 25

13 use in maintaining scial relatinships. Cntrast this with the pssible effect fr watching TV which might suggest that cntent riented use f (especially bradband) ISTs may have a negative effect. Hwever we shuld nt lse sight f the result regarding increases in satisfactin with the persn s envirnment which is cnsistently the strngest effect f all, nr the result fr increasing the quality f wrk life fr thse wh are emplyed. We nw repeat these analyses fr each surveyed cuntry. 4.2 Italy Table 2: Lngitudinal mdel f the factrs assciated with change in verall quality f life scre (item 1) fr Italy Mdel 1 Mdel 2 Mdel 3 Mdel 4 Cntrls: Age Gender Change in: Free time t d what I want 0.096** 0.132** 0.088** 0.083** Envirnmental Cnditins are gd * Gd cmmunicatins with friends 0.151*** 0.122** 0.150*** 0.145*** Quality f wrk life 0.135** Change in frequency f: Playing sprt etc Ging t cinema etc Having meal ut etc Ging t evening classes etc Reading newspapers and bks Meeting with friends Emplyment changes: Becme unemplyed Retired frm paid wrk 0.098* 0.125* Gt a jb * * Became 'hmemaker' Became full time student C-habitatin changes Was single, nw living as a cuple Was single, nw married 0.069* 0.071* Was in a cuple, nw single Widwed IST variables: Acquired bradband w1 - w Acquired internet access w1 - w Acquired a mbile phne w1-w Change in minutes per day watching TV Change in minutes per day using phne Change in minutes per day using internet * Change in frequency f sent t friends and relatives Change in number f sent frm hme Change in frequency f phning friends and relatives N Adjusted r sq Ntes: OLS regressin, values are Beta (standardised c-efficient), + = p < 0.1, * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < The results fr Italy shw sme similarity t thse f the UK. Gd cmmunicatins with friends is cnsistently the strngest cntributr t verall quality f life fllwed by the perceptin f free time (which is nt as imprtant in the UK). Here t increasing the quality f wrking life is significant fr thse in wrk and this mdel (2) reduces the strength f the effect fr cmmunicatins with friends slightly. Hwever changing the satisfactin with the envirnment seems t play little part in changing Italians verall perceived quality f life. Of the leisure factrs playing sprt etc shws a psitive effect but it is nt statistically significant s we cannt be sure that the effect is real. Of the wrking status changes btaining a jb appears t decrease verall quality f life althugh the magnitude f the effect is relatively small and retiring frm paid wrk appears t increase QL. Thse wh have married since wave 1 reprt an increase in QL in cntrast t thse wh have frmed an unmarried partnership wh reprt n increase. Of the IST variables an increase in minutes per day using the Internet is assciated with a decrease in verall quality f life as may an increase in the frequency f telephning friends and relatives. Fr Italians then, this limited mdel suggests that increasing satisfactin f cmmunicatins with friends and perceptins f sufficient free time might lead t increases in verall perceived quality f life. Again these are Page 13 f 25

14 aspects f life in which ISTs might play a part. If nt spurius, the result fr btaining a jb is unexpected and requires further analysis, as des the result fr Internet minutes per day. The result fr getting married is nt surprising. 4.3 Germany Age has a psitive effect in Germany in mdel 1 such that aging by 1 year is assciated with an increase f in QL scre. Changes in satisfactin with free time, envirnmental cnditins and cmmunicatins with friends are all strng c-variates with changes in verall quality f life thrugh all f the mdels and again mdel 2 shws that a prprtin f the cmmunicatin with friends scre may be derived frm wrk based scial interactin. Of the leisure variables reading newspapers and bks mre frequently shws a negative relatinship with changing QL which may be related t a decrease in mbility r ut f hme scial life. Other life changes such as increasing ill health may play a part here but are nt captured by the e-living survey. There is a negative but nt statistically significant result fr retiring frm paid wrk. Becming unemplyed may have a psitive effect n QL althugh again this result is nn-significant at the 95% level and s is nt reliable. Finally f all the IST variables nly acquiring a mbile phne suggests any sizeable effect (psitive) but again this is nt significant at the 95% level. Nte that these results d nt analyse the verall decrease in QL scres in Germany which may be f direct interest t lcal plicy makers. This wuld require analysis f change within different sci-ecnmic grups t identify systematic changes in different sectins f the ppulatin and is left fr future wrk. Table 3: Lngitudinal mdel f the factrs assciated with change in verall quality f life scre (item 1) fr Germany Mdel 1 Mdel 2 Mdel 3 Mdel 4 Cntrls: Age 0.042* Gender Change in: Free time t d what I want 0.113*** 0.102* 0.113*** 0.096** Envirnmental Cnditins are gd 0.156*** *** 0.157*** Gd cmmunicatins with friends 0.118*** 0.091* 0.114*** 0.113*** Quality f wrk life 0.126** Change in frequency f: Playing sprt etc Ging t cinema etc Having meal ut etc Ging t evening classes etc Reading newspapers and bks * * Meeting with friends Emplyment changes: Becme unemplyed Retired frm paid wrk Gt a jb Became 'hmemaker' Became full time student C-habitatin changes Was single, nw living as a cuple Was single, nw married Was in a cuple, nw single Widwed IST variables: Acquired bradband w1 - w Acquired internet access w1 - w Acquired a mbile phne w1-w Change in minutes per day watching TV Change in minutes per day using phne Change in minutes per day using internet Change in frequency f sent t friends and relatives Change in number f sent frm hme Change in frequency f phning friends and relatives N Adjusted r sq Unstandardised cefficients (B) nt reprted in the table. Page 14 f 25

15 Ntes: OLS regressin, values are Beta (standardised c-efficient), + = p < 0.1, * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < Nrway The mdels fr Nrway perfrm as prly as the previus cuntries. In mdel 1 changes in satisfactin with envirnmental cnditins has the strngest effect n verall QL and this is cnsistently true fr all mdels except mdel 2 where quality f wrk life becmes the mst significant. Table 4: Lngitudinal mdel f the factrs assciated with change in verall quality f life scre (item 1) fr Nrway Mdel 1 Mdel 2 Mdel 3 Mdel 4 Cntrls: Age Gender Change in: Free time t d what I want 0.066* 0.103** * Envirnmental Cnditins are gd 0.156*** 0.134*** 0.157*** 0.162*** Gd cmmunicatins with friends 0.095** ** 0.096** Quality f wrk life 0.182*** Change in frequency f: Playing sprt etc Ging t cinema etc Having meal ut etc Ging t evening classes etc Reading newspapers and bks Meeting with friends Emplyment changes: Becme unemplyed Retired frm paid wrk Gt a jb 0.071* 0.070* Became 'hmemaker' Became full time student C-habitatin changes Was single, nw living as a cuple Was single, nw married Was in a cuple, nw single Widwed IST variables: Acquired bradband w1 - w ** Acquired internet access w1 - w Acquired a mbile phne w1-w Change in minutes per day watching TV Change in minutes per day using phne Change in minutes per day using internet Change in frequency f sent t friends and relatives Change in number f sent frm hme Change in frequency f phning friends and relatives N Adjusted r sq Ntes: OLS regressin, values are Beta (standardised c-efficient), + = p < 0.1, * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < The mdel shws a weaker relatinship between perceptins f free time, cmmunicatins with friends and verall QL. The effect f changing quality f wrking life is extremely strng such that mdel 2 (with wrklife quality) is almst twice as gd as mdel 1 in terms f explanatry pwer. Nne f the leisure variables turn ut t have a significant effect althugh there may be an assciated between increased use f newspapers and bks and increased QL althugh this effect is nn-significant and nly present in mdel 3. Of the wrking status variables getting a jb has a psitive and statistically significant effect n verall quality f life. This may be due t larger than nrmal changes in the unemplyment rate in Nrway in this perid. The lw internatinal ecnmic situatin has created a degree f unusual instability in the Nrwegian labur frce. Of the IST variables thse wh mved frm PSTN internet access t bradband reprted a drp in verall quality f life f sme magnitude in cntrast t a small, psitive but nt significant (at the 95% level) rise in QL fr thse wh acquired narrwband Internet access in the hme. Page 15 f 25

16 4.5 Bulgaria PUBLIC The mdels fr Bulgaria shw the verwhelming imprtance in changing satisfactin with free time and envirnmental cnditins in psitively affecting changes in verall quality f life. These are cnsistent acrss all mdels except fr Mdel 2 (thse in wrk) where increasing quality f wrking life is the biggest factr with free time being the nly ther statistically significant effect. Nne f the leisure variables shw any statistically significant effect and f the emplyment changes nly acquiring a jb shws an effect and in this case it is psitive as might be expected. Table 5: Lngitudinal mdel f the factrs assciated with change in verall quality f life scre (item 1) fr Bulgaria Mdel 1 Mdel 2 Mdel 3 Mdel 4 Cntrls: Age Gender Change in: Free time t d what I want 0.105*** 0.195*** 0.120*** 0.092* Envirnmental Cnditins are gd 0.130*** *** 0.125** Gd cmmunicatins with friends Quality f wrk life 0.262*** Change in frequency f: Playing sprt etc Ging t cinema etc Having meal ut etc Ging t evening classes etc Reading newspapers and bks Meeting with friends Emplyment changes: Becme unemplyed Retired frm paid wrk Gt a jb 0.097** 0.088* Became 'hmemaker' Became full time student C-habitatin changes Was single, nw living as a cuple Was single, nw married Was in a cuple, nw single Widwed IST variables: Acquired bradband w1 - w Acquired internet access w1 - w Acquired a mbile phne w1-w Change in minutes per day watching TV Change in minutes per day using phne Change in minutes per day using internet Change in frequency f sent t friends ** and relatives Change in number f sent frm hme Change in frequency f phning friends and relatives N Adjusted r sq Ntes: OLS regressin, values are Beta (standardised c-efficient), + = p < 0.1, * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < Changes in habitatin status shw n effects and f the IST variables, changing the frequency f ing t family and friends shws an effect and in this case it is negative and f sme magnitude. Given the small number f and internet users in Bulgaria this result shuld be viewed with sme cautin. There may be a psitive relatinship between the frequency f phning friends and relatives and verall quality f life but this effect is nt statistically reliable. 4.6 Israel The mdels fr Israel again shw the imprtance f perceptins f free time, envirnmental cnditins and cmmunicatins with friends t verall quality f life. Increasing all f these will have psitive effects in Israel. Interestingly Israel is the nly cuntry where mdel 2 is different with n statistically significant effects fr quality f wrk life and indeed this is the wrst perfrming mdel. Table 6: Lngitudinal mdel f the factrs assciated with change in verall quality f life scre (item 1) fr Israel Mdel 1 Mdel 2 Mdel 3 Mdel 4 Page 16 f 25

17 Cntrls: Age * 0.090* Gender Change in: Free time t d what I want 0.111*** 0.120* 0.110** 0.098** Envirnmental Cnditins are gd 0.123*** *** 0.134*** Gd cmmunicatins with friends 0.084** ** 0.091** Quality f wrk life Change in frequency f: Playing sprt etc Ging t cinema etc 0.067* Having meal ut etc Ging t evening classes etc Reading newspapers and bks Meeting with friends Emplyment changes: Becme unemplyed Retired frm paid wrk Gt a jb Became 'hmemaker' Became full time student C-habitatin changes Was single, nw living as a cuple Was single, nw married Was in a cuple, nw single Widwed IST variables: Acquired bradband w1 - w Acquired internet access w1 - w Acquired a mbile phne w1-w Change in minutes per day watching TV 0.084* Change in minutes per day using phne Change in minutes per day using internet Change in frequency f sent t friends and relatives Change in number f sent frm hme Change in frequency f phning friends and relatives N Adjusted r sq Ntes: OLS regressin, values are Beta (standardised c-efficient), + = p < 0.1, * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < Of the leisure variables ging t the cinema etc has a psitive effect in mdels 3 and 4 but is nly statistically significant in 3 whilst meeting with friends has a psitive effect but is statistically significant nly at the 90% level. The emplyment changes shw n effects and f the habitatin changes being widwed shws an unsurprising cnsistently negative effect althugh it is significant at the 90% but nt the 95% level and s may nt be reliable especially given that nly 5 Israeli respndents were widwed. Of the IST variables, acquiring Internet access has a psitive but nt significant (at the 95% level) effect but increasing the amunt f time spent watching TV increases verall perceived QL in cntrast t a number f ther cuntries. 4.7 Summary It must be remembered that unlike the wave 1 analysis which was nly crss-sectinal and thus culd nly assciate different kinds f peple with different QL scres, the analysis reprted here uses the tw waves t analyse changes in peples lives frm wave 1 t wave 2 are mst strngly assciated with changes in their verall QL scre. Whilst it is still difficult t infer causality, especially frm 2 pints f data cllectin we can at least start t understand what actins might lead t increases r decreases n verall QL. Table 7 summarises the results f mdel 4 int ne table and excludes all variables where p > 0.1. Quality f wrk life is shwn in brackets as it was nt part f mdel 4 but its imprtance in driving up (r dwn) verall QL needs t be remembered. This table makes clear the significance f perceptins f free time, envirnmental cnditins and cmmunicatins with friends in nearly all cuntries in affecting verall quality f life scres. The balance f imprtance clearly differs between the cuntries with envirnmental cnditins being the mst imprtant in all cuntries except Italy where cmmunicatins with friends dminates (and changing envirnmental cnditins are nt imprtant at all). Perceived free time appears less imprtant than cmmunicatins with friends in the UK, Italy, Germany and Nrway but rughly equal in Israel. Having better r wrse Page 17 f 25

18 cmmunicatins with friends seems t make n difference t verall QL in Bulgaria and changing the quality f wrking life has large effects in all cuntries except Israel where there is n effect at all. Of the ther variables, few are cnsistent acrss all cuntries perhaps reflecting their different sciecnmic cnditins. Meeting friends mre frequently may have a psitive effect in Israel whilst reading newspapers and bks has a negative effect in Germany. Retiring frm paid wrk has a psitive effect in Italy but may have a negative ne in Germany whilst getting a jb has psitive effects in Nrway and Bulgaria but a negative effect in Italy. Getting married has a psitive effect in Italy. Of the IST variables getting bradband internet in Nrway is assciated with a decrease in verall QL fr reasns that are nt at all clear. Watching mre TV may be assciated with a decrease in QL in the UK but an increase in Israel whilst using the Internet mre at hme is assciated with a decrease in QL in Italy. Sending mre s t friends and relatives is assciated with a decrease in QL fr Bulgarians. Table 7: Summary lngitudinal mdel f the statistically significant factrs assciated with change in verall quality f life scre (item 1) fr all cuntries using mdel 4. UK Italy Germany Nrway Bulgaria Israel Cntrls: Age 0.069* 0.090** Gender Change in: Free time t d what I want 0.063* 0.083** 0.096** 0.064* 0092** 0.098** Envirnmental Cnditins are gd 0.166*** 0.157*** 0.162*** 0.125*** 0.134*** Gd cmmunicatins with friends 0.098** 0.145*** 0.113*** 0.096** 0.091** ( Quality f wrk life ) (0.14***) (0.135**) (0.126**) (0.182***) (0.262***) Change in frequency Playing sprt etc f: Reading newspapers etc * Meeting with friends Emplyment changes: Becme unemplyed Retired frm paid wrk 0.125* Gt a jb * 0.070* 0.088** C-habitatin changes Was single, nw married 0.071* Widwed IST changes: Gt bradband internet ** Gt narrwband internet Gt a mbile phne Time watching TV * Time using Internet at hme * Frequency f sent t friends and ** relatives Frequency f phning friends and relatives N Adjusted r sq Ntes: OLS regressin, values are Beta (standardised c-efficient), + = p < 0.1, * = p < 0.05, ** = p < 0.01, *** = p < Overall then the cnsistent patterns acrss cuntries fcus n the imprtance f perceptins f free time, envirnmental cnditins, cmmunicatins with friends and quality f wrk life with sme variatin in magnitude and balance within each cuntry. The ther variables are far mre cuntry specific in their effects and highlight bth the impssibility f Eurpean-wide actins and the prblem with cnsidering IST access r basic usage as a necessary cntributr t verall quality f life. These data at least simply d nt supprt such a simplistic view. The results als shw sme unexpected results. Fr example getting a jb in Italy between 2001 and 2002 was assciated with a reprted decrease in QL. If nt a spurius result this might remind us that fr sme, being in emplyment is nt always a psitive life chice and the same might be said f the result fr unemplyment in Germany. Similarly fr sme peple a change in c-habitatin frm cuple/married t single might be a psitive change, whilst fr ther it is a negative ne which wuld explain why these transitins did nt prduce any cnsistent effects. This shuld remind us that QL is necessarily a persnal perceptin related t what went befre and what might be neither f which may be accurately captured in a general survey such as e-living as was discussed in Sectin 4. Hwever we must als be cautius in interpreting these results frm the pint f view f the data itself. The lw explanatry pwer f the mdels (6% at best) suggests that mst f the changes in QL bserved between waves 1 and 2 culd be simply randm fluctuatins in peple s reprting r perceptins f their lives and/r the result f changes in their lives nt measured in the e-living survey r nt included in the mdels. It wuld therefre be advisable t seek cnfirmatin f these results frm lnger term lngitudinal Page 18 f 25