Affective Well-Being 
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**Summary**

Affective well-being describes the balance between positive and negative emotional experiences and is 
of interest for the research on well-being in psychology and economics as well as in the social sciences 
in general. The scale consists of four items and has been used in the SOEP since 2007. 

**Theoretical Background**
 
In the psychological literature, subjective well-being is assumed to consist of two components: 
cognitive well-being and affective well-being (Schimmack et al., 2002). Here, affective well-being 
represents the emotional component of subjective well-being. In contrast to cognitive well-being, 
which is based on reflexive evaluation of subjective well-being, affective well-being hinges on the 
balance between positive and negative emotions (Sumner, 1996). 
The distinction between cognitive and affective well-being is important for the scientific investigation 
of subjective well-being and for policy considerations about public well-being. If the aim is to 
maximize subjective well-being on both the individual and the social level, and if the two are indeed 
separate components, it is crucial to measure their relative importance. Despite the importance of 
distinguishing between cognitive and affective well-being, their relationship has been researched little 
to date (Schimmack, 2009). Their relationship also highlights the need to examine factors such as 
unemployment that potentially influence subjective well-being (e.g., Schimmack et al., 2008). 
Conceptually, the relationship between affective well-being and other general personality 
characteristics is also of interest.  

**Scale Development**

Theoretical considerations and results from the 2006 SOEP pretest led to the construction of a scale 
consisting of four items. One item deals with positive experiences (“happy”), while the other three 
items deal with negative experiences (annoyed, afraid, sad; Schimmack, 2009). In the pilot study, the 
measure constructed in this manner showed a high correlation with a longer measure of affective 
balance consisting of 10 items and produced results that are consistent with the previous results in the 
relevant psychological literature (Schimmack et al., 2008).  

**References**

*Schimmack, U. 2009. Measuring wellbeing in the SOEP. Schmollers Jahrbuch, 129, 241-249.*

*Schimmack, U. Diener, E., & Oishi, S. (2002). Life-Satisfaction is a momentary judgment and a stable 
personality characteristic: The use of chronically accessible and stable sources. Journal of 
Personality, 70, 345-384.*

*Schimmack, U., Schupp, J., & Wagner, G. G. (2008). The influence of environment and personality on 
the affective and cognitive component of subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 89, 
41-60.*

*Sumner, L. W. (1996): Welfare, happiness, and ethics. Oxford: University Press.*

**Items**

I will now read to you a number of feelings. Please indicate for each feeling how often or rarely you 
experienced this feeling in the last four weeks (Ich lese Ihnen eine Reihe von Gefühlen vor. Geben Sie 
bitte jeweils an, wie häufig oder selten Sie dieses Gefühl in den letzten vier Wochen erlebt haben): 

	1. Angry (ärgerlich gefühlt)? 
	2. Worried (ängstlich gefühlt)? 
	3. Happy (glücklich gefühlt)? 
	4. Sad (traurig gefühlt)? 

Scale: 1 (Very rarely / Sehr selten) to 5 (Very often / Sehr oft) 

**Test-Retest Correlations**

In 2009, this scale was included in a retest taken by a subsample (N = 164 completed the scale) within 
30 to 49 days after the initial test. Test-retest correlations for the items were (in scale order) .46, .49, 
.51, and .46; scale scores correlated .54.

**Items and Scale Statistics**

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