Life Satisfaction and Grandparenthood: Evidence from a Nationwide Survey in the UK

The negative association between parenthood and life satisfaction is well-established in the well-being literature. Yet little is known about the relationship between life satisfaction and that of grandparenthood. Whilst social scientists agree that there is generally a demand for grandchildren, it remains an empirical question of whether or not this would be reflected in grandparents " life satisfaction responses. This article documents evidence that, conditioning on being a parent, grandparents tend to be significantly more satisfied with their life compared to non-grandparents. One explanation for this is that becoming a grandparent does not put a significant strain on individual's financial situation as much as becoming a parent.