Original Article
Do ‘child-friendly’ countries contribute to child satisfaction? A comparative study of OECD countries
Noam Tarshish,
Corresponding Author
Noam Tarshish
The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Noam Tarshish, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
E-mail: noamtarshish@gmail.com
Search for more papers by this authorNoam Tarshish,
Corresponding Author
Noam Tarshish
The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Noam Tarshish, The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
E-mail: noamtarshish@gmail.com
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 06 July 2020
Abstract
Child-friendliness is a new concept in the research literature. Derived from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, it assesses different nations’ commitment to the aspects of children’s rights: both self-determination and nurturance and care. Since the concept is still in its infancy, there is a need to study the associations between child-friendliness and the subjective well-being of children in a comparative perspective. Accordingly, the present study compares country rankings in the Child-Friendliness Index (CFI) with country scores in the Global Domain Satisfaction Index (GDSI) in a sample of ten OECD countries. Results show that there is no association between the adapted GDSI score and the CFI. However, the self-determination sub-index and specifically participation in the personal domain are found correlated with GDSI domains. Moreover, countries can be grouped into different clusters: Nordic, Mediterranean, European, Asian.
Key Practitioner Message: • There was no apparent association between the adapted GDSI score and the Child-Friendliness Index (CFI) rank; • The CFI self-determination sub-index and participation in the personal domain specifically were found to be correlated with GDSI domains; • Countries may be grouped into different clusters when looking at their GDSI score and CFI rank: Nordic, Mediterranean, European, Asian.
Open Research
Data availability statement
Research data are not shared.
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