Using multiple regression analysis on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the author found that the level of economic well-being varied by sex and race or ethnicity. Education, hours worked, and marital status were the most consistent predictors of economic well-being, depending on the sex and race or ethnicity of respondents in 1992 and 1985, and self-esteem was also a consistent predictor among Hispanic men and White women in 1992. Nonetheless, the influence of education on economic well-being declined between 1985 and 1992 for all groups except White women, while the influence of hours worked declined for all groups except Hispanic women and Black men. The findings provided empirical evidence for the reported generalized anxiety in regard to people's ability to influence their economic well-being.
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