Individual social capital and subjective well-being in urban- and rural Austrian areas

In this study we investigated the amount of social capital as well as its effect on subjective well-being for the whole Austrian population and separately for rural- and urban areas. By using the Austrian Social Survey 2018, we were able to analyze various social capital dimensions based on a conceptual model developed by Kawachi (2008), namely informal and formal social capital, social support as well as social and institutional trust. We observed differences between rural and urban areas in the social-capital dimension of informal social capital: Individuals in rural areas report more contacts with lower-skilled vocations and more family contacts while individuals from urban areas report more social participation and more contact with a close friend. For the Austrian population as a whole, more contacts with highly educated professions, frequent contact (at least several times a week) with a close friend, as well as social and institutional trust, foster subjective well-being. Frequent contact with up to three distinct family members fosters subjective well-being for the entire Austrian sample as well as for individuals living in rural-, but not in urban areas. This study extends previous research by showing different amounts of informal social capital between urban and rural areas as well as different effects on subjective well-being. To summarize, our results confirm the beneficial influence of certain social capital dimensions on subjective well-being in Austria taking into account control variables based on previous research, while showing different patterns and effects of informal social capital between urban and rural areas.