Urban-rural variations in children's lives and subjective well-being: A comparative analysis of four countries

This article analyses differences in the lives and well-being of children aged 8 to 12 in four contrasting countries – Argentina, Romania, South Africa and Korea – using child self-report data. The article reviews a range of previous international literature on urban-rural differences in children's lives. Based on this literature a set of expectations are identified regarding a number of aspects of children's lives – material deprivation, family context, family relationships, friendships, school experience, safety and facilities in the local area, time use and overall subjective well-being. These are then tested against the data for the four countries separately. Some findings correspond with expectations from previous research while others do not and there is considerable variation in this between the four countries. There is some tentative evidence for slightly higher child subjective well-being in rural areas than urban areas. It is provisionally concluded that urban-rural differences in children's lives and well-being are country-specific. However, further research is needed with a larger range of countries. •Comparison of lives and well-being of urban and rural children in four countries•Some findings correspond with previous findings on urban-rural differences.•But there are substantial variations in patterns across countries.•Urban-rural differences are country-specific and may not be generalisable.