The proposed research aims toward a systematic evaluation of existing measures of well-being among the aged. In particular, it has the following objectives: 1. To develop explicit measurement models for various measures of well-being such as life satisfaction, socioeconomic status, financial satisfaction, health, and social integration. These models will specify the links between the observed indicators and the unobservable theoretical constructs. 2. To empirically evaluate these measurement specifications, data from four national surveys and two local surveys will be used. LISREL will be employed to assess the goodness-of-fit of these models. Measurement errors and reliabilities associated with them will be examined. Furthermore, to assess the generalizability and structural variations of the proposed measurement models, the covariance structures within various subgroups in terms of age, sex, and race will be compared. 3. A multiple indicator structural equation model will also be formulated. Specifically, the structural links among dimensions of well-being as well as their measurement specifications will be integrated into one framework. This structural model will also be evaluated by using secondary information.
