Age Difference In the Relationship between Perceived Social Mobility and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Relative Deprivation

Background

The neologism 'byeorak-geoji' (overnight beggar) reflects the frustration of Korean citizens who have been impoverished overnight as their stagnant wealth has been rendered worthless by surging real estate prices. It reflects the grim reality that hard work no longer guarantees a better life, as the path to social mobility feels firmly blocked. According to social comparison theory, relative deprivation increases when individuals perceive social mobility to be stagnant. Such a subjective evaluation of social mobility and deprivation can have a greater impact on individual’s overall well-being and life satisfaction than objective indicators. However, existing studies have primarily focused on the elderly, leaving a gap in our understanding of how these mechanisms of perceived inequality vary by age. Thus, this study aims to investigate the relationships among perceived social mobility (PSM), relative deprivation and life satisfaction, with a specific focus on comparing these underlying mechanisms across age groups.

Method

This study utilized data from the 2025 “Korean Public Perception Survey on Inequality and Fairness”, a nationally representative sample of 1,717 adults in South Korea. Participants were categorized into three age groups: younger adults (ages 20-39, n=490), middle-aged adults (ages 40-64, n = 1,037), and older adults (65+, n= 190). A multi-group structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used to examine whether the association between PSM and life satisfaction is mediated by relative deprivation across age groups. All models controlled for gender, education, employment status, income, housing cost burden, perceived fairness, and social trust. Maximum likelihood estimation was applied, and indirect associations were estimated to assess mediation. Residual covariances among selected indicators were included to improve model fit.

Results

The model demonstrated acceptable fit (CFI = .939, TLI = .916, RMSEA = .073, SRMR = .086). Across all age groups, PSM was negatively associated with relative deprivation and positively associated with life satisfaction, indicating partial mediation. However, the magnitude and pattern show differences across age groups. Among younger adults, PSM showed a relatively strong direct association with life satisfaction (β = .366), whereas the indirect association through relative deprivation was comparatively modest (β = .060). In contrast, among older adults, the indirect association was substantially stronger (β = .174), while the direct association was weaker (β = .163). Additionally, relative deprivation was most strongly associated with lower life satisfaction in this group (β = -.467). The middle-aged group exhibited an intermediate pattern, with both direct (β = .245) and indirect (β = .079) associations that were less pronounced.

Conclusion

The findings of this study highlight the significance of age-specific psychological mechanisms in linking perceptions of inequality to life satisfaction. The well-being of young adults is primarily associated with perceived opportunities for upward mobility, whereas that of older adults is more strongly associated with relative deprivation. These results suggest that well-being strategies should adopt a life-course perspective. For young adults, expanding opportunities such as access to education and career advancement is crucial. For older adults, however, addressing psychosocial inequality such as income insecurity and social exclusion is more effective in promoting well-being.