Search

Objective: This article aims to analyze the evolution of income inequality and mobility in Spain during the period 1999–2011 by exploiting data from personal income tax returns. Methods: To assess the evolution of inequality over the period analyzed, we have used some of the many metrics developed for this purpose, each of which offers a different approach depending on the segment of the income distribution they focus on (Gini coefficient, income shares, generalized entropy index, and the Atkinson class of measures). Results: Our results suggest that, after a period of slightly declining income inequality, Spain experienced a rise in inequality in the years immediately preceding the Great Recession, before falling back to precrisis levels. With regard to income mobility, during this period, it was more common for individuals in the middle of the distribution to experience changes, while those at the top and bottom maintained a more stable position. Conclusions: The economic boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as the Great Recession, had a significant impact on income inequality and mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the physical activity engagement (PA) has given rise to a relevant research agenda in a wide range of fields, such as its close relationship with subjective well-being, self-perceived health and social capital. Previous evidence has identified interrelationships among these variables, but without considering different levels of physical activity. We have thus considered three levels of activity: light (walking), moderate and vigorous. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is undertaken on data from Spain's National Health Survey in 2011–2012 to analyse these interrelationships. The SEM shows a simultaneous and bidirectional relationship between different levels of PA (moderate and vigorous activities) and happiness, with a more robust association stemming from happiness to PA than vice versa. This relationship is mediated through health. From a policy perspective, this implies a virtuous circle: involvement in different levels of PA increases happiness and self-perceived health, while happiness involves higher PA and subsequent positive increases in health and happiness. Nevertheless, this virtuous circle does not always run successfully when social capital is considered to mediate the relationship between PA and happiness, which might explain why it has proven to be very difficult for health policymakers to fight against inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle within a great part of the population. Highlights We investigate bidirectional interrelationships between different levels of physical activity (PA) and happiness. We consider the mediation role played by self-perceived health (SPH) and social capital. Our results highlight a network of association between different levels of PA, SPH, social capital and happiness. SPH positively mediates this relationship for any type of PA level, whereas social capital only mediates positively when vigorous PA is developed. From a health policy perspective, the simultaneity between PA levels and happiness implies a virtuous circle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of a rise in physical inactivity, this paper aims to provide new insights about the relationship between different forms of sport engagements and their correlates, analysing, for the first time, both active and passive sport involvement for a large sample of individuals. Applying the cluster technique, we identify four different segments of sports involvement among the Spanish population: non-sporty, exclusively practitioner, balanced practitioner, and basically spectator. Also, we develop a multinomial logit model to analyse the main sociodemographic, physical, and sports features that could increase the individual sport involvement, from the non-sporty segment, which assembles the highest number of individuals, to the other clusters. Most of the variables under analysis show a different impact on sport involvement: some of them stimulate active participation (e.g. being member of private sport clubs), whereas others mainly encourage sport attendance (e.g. readers and listeners of sport news, children in the household), and other variables boost sport engagement in general (e.g. being male, educational level, health status, e-sports). The results may have significant implications in terms of developing a general perspective about sport engagement, including both active and passive participation. Particularly, our findings suggest that active and passive sport engagement do not seem to be negatively associated and they can coexist at different levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this article, we seek to determine the main explanatory factors of individual preferences for redistribution in Spain. Methods: We use data from the World Values Survey capturing economic factors, political preferences, personal beliefs, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: The results, obtained using both OLS and ordered logit regressions, reveal that factors regarding relative household income, personal beliefs, sociodemographic characteristics, and regional differences are the main determinants of the demand for redistribution. Conclusion: These results, coupled with long‐standing trends that the Spanish society has been experiencing for decades, suggest that there may be an increase in the demand for redistribution in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]