Work

Accumulation of psychological problems in UK cities; A quantile regression approach

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The rich get richer and the poor face poverty in cities. Inspired by this economic accumulation, we study if domains of psychological well-being also accumulate across six psychological dimensions in cities. According to accumulation theory, we expect the most pronounced urban-rural disparities in the extremes of a total well-being distribution. We test this using quantile regression on a sample of 39,368 UK residents aged 40 to 70. Using a continuous and objective measure of urbanicity, we examined urban-rural differences through non-linear statistical models. We find evidence for UK urban residents accumulating psychological problems meaning the psychologically worst off face additional disadvantages in cities. We also observe a smaller general shift in total satisfaction meaning everyone is expected to do worse in cities. Lastly, we observe optimal distances between highly urban and rural areas for the central quantiles, 10% to 90%. In contrast, the unhappiest and happiest 10% show a healthy monotonic association with increasing distance from city centers.

Source: Cities

DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106630

Authors: Adam Finnemann, René Freichel, Han van der Maas, Denny Borsboom, Reinout Wiers

Institution: University of Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000