Feeling better off? A multidimensional approach to perceived mobility across life domains

• Analyzes perceived life progress across six domains in five European countries. • Reveals clustering patterns in subjective intergenerational mobility perceptions. • Links perceived progress to national context, social position, and wellbeing. • Introduces a multidimensional framework for studying subjective mobility. • Highlights the spatial and relational foundations of wellbeing across generation. Perceptions of being better or worse off than one’s parents are connected to how people assess opportunity, inequality, and wellbeing, but evidence typically relies on a single global question about perceived mobility. Drawing on original survey data from Austria, Denmark, Finland, Spain, and the United Kingdom, this study adopts a multidimensional approach to perceived intergenerational mobility. Respondents evaluated whether they are better or worse off than their parents across fourteen domains, including occupation, housing, wealth, and health. The analysis reveals systematic patterns and country-level variation: perceptions of upward mobility are most prevalent in education and technology, whereas perceptions of downward mobility are more common in areas such as the environment, politics, and family life. Perceptions cluster into economic and psychosocial dimensions, with some domains, particularly environmental and political, exhibiting greater independence. Regression models indicate that general perceptions of mobility are strongly associated with economic domains, such as wealth and income, but also draw on social and psychological dimensions, including happiness and family life. These findings suggest that individuals synthesize experiences across life domains when evaluating overall mobility. By mapping how progress or decline is perceived across life domains and countries, the study contributes to broader debates on inequality and subjective wellbeing.