The main purpose of this paper is to explore differences in the roles played
by family, school, and community in the subjective well-being (SWB) of children in
different age groups in South Korea. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework,
the contexts that affect children’s subjective well-being are conceptualized as family,
school, and community. We use multiple regression analysis with the Chow test. The
Chow test examines whether the parameters of one group (such as 8-year-old children)
are equal to those of other groups (such as 10- or 12-year-old children). The results
show that Bsatisfaction with freedom^ in child factors and Brelations with friends^ in
school factors significantly influence SWB, having a stronger effect on 8- rather than
12-year-old children. In contrast, Bsatisfaction with school marks^ in school factors
significantly influences SWB, having a stronger effect on 12- rather than 8-year-old
children. In a nutshell, this analysis shows that the effects of these factors on the SWB
of 8-year-olds are different from those on the SWB of 12-year-olds.

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• Why Do Children Become Unhappier as They Get Older? Comparing Key Dimensions of Children’s Subjective Well-Being Between 8- and 12-Year-Old Groups in South Korea