The Origins of Happiness

Work and Unemployment

Table 4.5. How an individual’s percentage of time unemployed up to

age 30 is affected by childhood factors (British Cohort Study)

Units β- coefficients

All variables

unstandardized

Intellectual
performance (16)

1, 0 −0.04 (.01) −1.40 (.41)

Behavior (16) SD (index) −0.06 (.02) −0.71 (.20)

Emotional health
(16)

SD (index) −0.04 (.01) −0.47 (.17)

Family income Ln −0.03 (.01) −0.81 (.34)

Parents’ education Age 0.02 (.01) 0.15 (.08)

Father’s
unemployment

Fraction of

waves

0.09 (.02) 6.39 (1.26)

Mother’s
employment

Fraction of

waves

−0.05 (.01) −1.94 (0.42)

Parental
involvement

SD (index) −0.04 (.01) −0.43 (0.17)

Family break- up 1, 0 0.01 (.01) 0.54 (.45)

Mother’s mental
health

SD (index) −0.03 (.01) −0.31 (.17)

Number of
siblings

Number 0.04 (.01) 0.39 (.15)

Postmarital
conception

1, 0 0.02 (.01) 0.71 (.46)

Female 1, 0 −0.07 (.01) −1.69 (.26)

Ethnicity: white 1, 0 −0.01 (.01) −0.70 (1.24)

Low birth weight 1, 0 −0.00 (.01) −0.24 (.60)

Observations 9,811 9,811

R^2 0.046 0.046