Satisfaction with daily activities after retirement in Europe

This paper analyses the determinants of satisfaction with daily activities among retirees aged 65 years or older in eleven European countries. We use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe on self-assessed satisfaction with daily activities and anchoring vignettes to correct for potential differences in responses scales across countries and socio-demographic groups. On average, retired Europeans appear to be satisfied with their daily activities, but there are large differences across countries: respondents from Northern countries tend to be more satisfied than individuals from Central European or Mediterranean countries. Our analysis shows that correcting for response scale differentials alters the country ranking for satisfaction with daily activities but hardly affects the conclusions on the factors driving within country differences between socio-demographic groups.