Trends in happy life expectancy in Russia, 1994–2015

Although the physical health status of the Russian population has improved over time, limited attention has been paid to the role of subjective well-being (SWB), and even less is known about its relationship with objective health conditions. Using the concept of health expectancy, this study estimates the number of years expected to be satisfied with life (happy life expectancy [LE]) for Russian men and women aged 50 years and older between 1994 and 2015. Data on age-specific prevalence rates of life satisfaction were obtained from the Russian Longitudinal Study of Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE), and the life tables were from the Human Life Table Database. We also tested the correlation between macroeconomic indicators and happy LE at age 50. Results based on the Sullivan method demonstrated substantial increases in happy LE at age 50 for both genders during the study period. Changes in happy LE and the percentage of happy life were significant for both genders. Furthermore, happy LE fluctuated during the 1990s but increased in the early 2000s. Importantly, the results from more recent years show stagnation and slight declines in happy LE for men and women. We also noted correlations between happy LE at age 50 and macroeconomic indicators, including gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, unemployment, and poverty rates. Taken together, the findings suggest that Russian men and women are becoming more satisfied with life as they live longer. While health has mainly been measured by mortality and morbidity in the Russian context, the finding suggests the importance of focusing more on the positive aspect of population health.