Peer Spillover Effects in Children’s Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from 24 Countries

Using data from the third wave of Children’s Worlds’ International Survey on Children’s Well-Being from 44,903 children across 24 countries / territories and four continents, this study examines the association between peer subjective well-being (SWB) and individual SWB of 10- and 12-year-old children. We investigate measures of cognitive SWB (overall life satisfaction, Children’s Worlds Subjective Well-Being Scale (CW-SWBS)) and affective SWB (positive and negative affect). Controlling for individual, household, peer and school characteristics, results indicate a robust positive association between peer well-being and individual well-being for all cognitive and affective measures. Our findings further suggest significantly stronger spillovers for girls compared to boys at age 12, and for 12-year-old girls compared to 10-year-old girls. Lastly, associations are found to be stronger in low- and middle-income countries, while insignificant in many high-income countries. These findings highlight the value of fostering emotionally supportive school environments to improve children’s global well-being.