The Relationship between Income and Satisfaction: The Effect of Measurement Error and Suppressor Variables

In this paper the author attempts, as far as possible, to explain the subjective variable ``life satisfaction' by the objective variable ``income'. The reason for this is that the effect of the objective living conditions on the subjective feelings of people has been found to be very small. Much to the surprise of the author, a considerable effect of the objective variable has been found in a Russian panel study where it was possible to use lagged variables as suppressor variables and to correct for measurement errors in the different variables. This result lends considerable support for the dynamic equilibrium model as an explanatory theory of satisfaction.     

Satisfied Residents in Different Types of Local Areas: Measuring What’s Most Important

In efforts to enhance subjective urban quality of life (QOL), most empirical research focuses on measuring satisfaction. However, other research suggests most residents are satisfied with where they live because they choose local areas which satisfy them on attributes important to them, within the constraints they face. Thus residents choosing very different local areas tend to have similar satisfaction levels. Rather than focusing on residential satisfaction in local areas, it may be useful to focus on residential preferences to both characterize and improve subjective urban QOL in local areas. This study compares satisfaction and preference measures in four broad types of urban environment in South East Queensland, Australia. As expected, the results showed similar levels of satisfaction across these urban environments (spanning inner city, suburban, outer suburban, and coastal areas) with regard to three broad attributes (access to services and facilities, the natural environment, and the social environment). In contrast, the importance of these attributes for residents varied between these urban environments. Thus residential preferences may characterize subjective urban QOL in different urban environments better than residential satisfaction. Moreover, residential preferences provide additional guidance for maintaining and enhancing subjective urban quality of life in local areas. This paper argues for a renewed focus on importance measures in addition to the existing focus on satisfaction measures in subjective urban QOL research.     

Probing Folk Happiness in Taiwan

This paper examines Taiwan’s folk happiness, which means the subjective well-being of the common people. Subjective well-being of people refers to the judgments people make about their life satisfaction or happiness. Such judgments may include their satisfaction of life as a whole (global life satisfaction) or of specific aspects of life (domain satisfaction). Based on survey data from a large sample, the life satisfaction of people is investigated in two aspects—people’s personal life and their perceived conditions of living in Taiwan, respectively presented as personal well-being and national well-being or societal well-being. The meanings of the well-being findings are interpreted against the socio-political environment of Taiwan. The paper also examines the socio-demographic aspects, including gender, age, marital status, education, income, religion of the folk happiness of Taiwan. It is found that people in Taiwan are moderately happy.     

The Use of Common Area <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-Sample Test in Evaluating Targeting Methodologies: An Application to the Case of Egypt

The quality of life (QOL) is a measure of social wellbeing and life satisfaction of individuals in an area. Measuring its spatial dynamics is of great significance as it can assist the policy makers and practitioners in improving the balance between urbanization and living environment. This study proposes an approach to spatially map and examine the relationships between QOL, land use/land cover (LULC) and population density in an urban environment. The city of Lahore, Pakistan was selected as the case study area. The QOL was evaluated through the data related to physical health, psychological, social relationships, environment (natural and built), economic condition and development, and access to facilities and services. The weights/relative importance of each QOL domain was determined through the analytic hierarchy process by processing the data collected from local field experts. Overall QOL was computed by applying the domain weights to the data; spatial mapping of QOL domains and overall QOL was conducted afterwards. The spatial dynamics of QOL were examined, and its interrelationships with LULC and population density were analyzed. The relationship between these three variables turned out to be spatially dynamic. The proposed approach assists the spatial mapping and analyses of QOL, LULC and population, and by examining the spatial dynamics of these variables, contributes to devising appropriate land management and QOL improvement strategies and policies in the metropolitan regions.     

Mediating Effects Between Objective and Subjective Indicators of Urban Quality of Life: Testing Specific Models for Safety and Access

Enhancing the urban quality of life (QoL) is an explicit policy goal of many countries, yet it is rarely studied using models that relate objective measures of the urban environment to the subjective evaluations of residents. It thus often remains unclear how planning interventions in the urban environment may influence residents’ satisfaction with their living conditions. In particular, during periods of significant urban growth, such as those recently observed in Switzerland, which result in diverse, unwanted threats to the local QoL (e.g., loss of green spaces, traffic congestions, and fear of crime). This study uses data from a sample of 1,693 residents that participated in a postal survey about urban QoL. The responses were combined with objective attributes of residential conditions, using geographic information systems. Structural equation models were calibrated to examine the direct and indirect effects of important indicators of urban QoL, namely safety in public spaces and access to central urban facilities. The study sheds further light on the mediating effects between objective characteristics and subjective evaluations that influence the urban QoL. The results showed predominantly low correlations between objective characteristics and subjective evaluations of urban QoL, which confirmed the findings of the few previous studies on this topic. Surprisingly, this study also found a strong link between objective access and perceived accessibility. This relation was explained by the spatial scope of the study region and suggested that the scale discordance theory should be tested in future research. The findings implied that variations in objective measures do not reliably represent differences as evaluated by residents.     

Evaluating Quality of Life in Urban Areas (Case Study: Noorabad City, Iran)

Quality of urban life (QOUL) has become an important field within urban studies. The increased level of attention to this topic is due to the increasing importance of QoL studies in monitoring public policies and in the role they can play as effective tools in urban management and planning. The main objective of this study is to measure the QOUL in the town of Noorabad in Iran, using subjective and objective indicators. In addition to secondary datasets, this study relies on a perception survey of households in the selected city. Based on an 11-point Likert scale, the mean of the overall life satisfaction of the respondents was found to be 6.06. At the same time, it has been found that satisfaction from employment opportunities is lowest among all other indicators. The comparison between the subjective and objective QoL in Noorabad indicated that 25 % of the households are in a state of well-being, 30.1 % are in a state of deprivation, while 24.4 % are in dissonance and 20.4 % are in a state of adaptation. Although correlation between objective and subjective dimensions of the QoL has not been found to be high, in general, the findings of this study reveal the importance of simultaneous studying of both objective and subjective dimensions of QoL. Results and findings of this study will be useful in designing and implementing future policies in the town of Noorabad.     

The Relationship between Subjective Well-being and Domain Satisfactions in South Africa

This paper examines the relationship between subjective well-being and domain satisfactions. In the past different models have been specified. The most commonly applied model is the bottom-up model in which domain satisfactions affect subjective well-being. The more recent top-down model suggests a reversed relationship. Finally there is the supposition that the correlations between these variables can be spurious due to the effect of personality characteristics. Empirical research has shown that different models are found for different domains and in different countries. Focussing on the effects of the domain satisfactions of finances, housing and social contacts it has been found that subjective well-being is mainly affected by satisfaction with social contacts in Western developed countries and by satisfaction with finances in East European countries. The question we should like to answer in this study is whether a similar pattern obtains for the factors which influence subjective well-being among the different race groups in South Africa. Interestingly, coloured people and Asians did indeed show the expected effects but the groups with the most extreme living conditions did not. Evaluation of life circumstances by black and white South Africans was determined by expectations for the future rather than by current living conditions. This surprising result is discussed in the light of the political situation in South Africa.     

An attempt to classify satisfaction changes: Methodological and content aspects of a longitudinal problem

Panel evaluations frequently show that subjective data are characterized by a high variability over time, with correspondingly heterogeneous patterns of transition. In this paper an attempt is made, by applying a simple Markov model, to classify the courses of individual satisfaction changes and describe the content of their process character. The results suggest that major leaps in satisfaction can be traced back to objective external changes in living conditions. External factors of influence controlled, the subjective indicator slightly varies; a result that corroborates the expected relationship between objective life situations and their subjective assessment, as well as the reliability of the measure applied.     

A Perception Survey for the Evaluation of Urban Quality of Life in Kocaeli and a Comparison of the Life Satisfaction with the European Cities

Studies on urban quality of life (QoL) have been attracting lots of attention from various countries due to the deterioration of urban environment and decrease of the urban QoL. These studies that have been supported by international organizations such as United Nations, World Bank, OECD, European Commission and EUROSTAT (European Statistics) involve comparative assessment of life satisfaction in the European cities and comparing cities facilitate the exchange of experiment and improve the quality of local policies. The main objective of this study is to measure the local perceptions of QoL in Kocaeli, which is one of the important industrial cities of Turkey and compare the life satisfaction with the European cities. Generally, two different types of indicators have been used: objective and subjective indicators. The objective indicators cover five fields: socio-economic aspects, participation in civic life, education and training, environment and culture, and leisure. The subjective indicators are mainly for valuation of QoL perceptions in a city. In this research, a perception survey will be carried out to measure the local perceptions of QoL in Kocaeli. This survey will present on issues for which the residents in the Kocaeli had widely diverging opinions: employment opportunities, housing costs, safety, cleanliness of city, public transport, air quality and overall satisfaction with the QoL of their city. Thus, the study will become a major reference for local officials to improve QoL in Kocaeli and contribute to researches on QoL in cities.     

Predictors of satisfaction with housing and neighbourhood: A nationwide study in the Republic of Ireland

The present paper reports results from a nationwide study, based on a representative sample in the Republic of Ireland. It is part of a harmonised study of subjective social indicators which has been carried out in eight member countries of the European Community. The data, which were obtained by survey techniques, are largely subjective or perceptual in nature. However, objective data were also obtained, thus permitting direct comparisons, in many cases, between objective conditions and subjective measures related to housing and neighbourhood to determine which characteristics were most highly predictive of overall satisfaction with housing and overall satisfaction with neighbourhood. In addition, the relationships between housing and neighbourhood variables and more global attitudinal variables (i.e., life satisfaction and anomia) were explored.     

Who Settles for Less? Subjective Dispositions,Objective Circumstances,and Housing Satisfaction

In recent years there has been growing interest in individuals’ self-perceptions of their wellbeing on the grounds that these complement well-established objective indicators of welfare. However, individuals’ assessments depend on both objective circumstances and subjective, idiosyncratic dispositions, such as aspirations and expectations. We add to the literature by formulating a modelling strategy that uncovers how these subjective dispositions differ across socio-demographic groups. This is then tested using housing satisfaction data from a large-scale household panel survey from Australia. We find that there are significant differences in the way in which individuals with different characteristics rate the same objective reality. For instance, male, older, migrant, and Indigenous individuals rate equal housing conditions more favourably than female, younger, Australian-born, and non-Indigenous individuals. These findings have important implications for how self-reported housing satisfaction, and wellbeing data in general, are to be used to inform evidence-based policy.     

Can We Weight Satisfaction Score with Importance Ranks Across Life Domains?

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of importance weighting when importance ranks were considered as the weighting values by (1) examining the range-of-affect hypothesis in the within-subject context and (2) comparing performances of weighted and unweighted satisfaction scores in predicting overall judgment of subjective well-being. Participants were 167 undergraduates at National Taiwan University. The mean age was 19.80 years (SD = 1.98). They were first asked to complete the measurements for global life satisfaction and overall QOL and then completed a QOL questionnaire for rating satisfaction, perceived have–want discrepancy on 12 life domains and ranking importance on these domains. Hierarchical linear modeling with a random-coefficients regression model was applied to examine the range-of-affect hypothesis in the within-subject context. Correlation analysis was applied to evaluate performances of weighted and unweighted satisfaction scores in predicting overall judgment of subjective well-being. Results of this study supported the range-of-affect hypothesis, showing that the relationship between item have–want discrepancy and item satisfaction is stronger for high importance items than low importance items for a given individual. Correlation analysis found that the four weighted satisfaction scores computed from the algorithms proposed by Hsieh (Social Indicators Research 61:227–240, 2003) were not superior to unweighted satisfaction score in predicting overall QOL and global life satisfaction. All these findings suggested that weighting satisfaction scores with importance ranks may not have theoretical basis and empirical contribution.     

Further Validation of the Sirgy et al.'s Measure of Community Quality of Life

Sirgy et al. (2000) have developed a measure ofcommunity quality of life (QOL). This measurecaptures residents' satisfaction withcommunity-based services in the way that theseservices contribute to global satisfaction withthe community and overall life satisfaction. The measure was validated nomologically bytesting hypotheses directly deduced from atheoretical model that relates residents'satisfaction with community-based services withglobal community satisfaction and global lifesatisfaction. The study reported in this paperreplicates and extends Sirgy et al.'s (2000)study. Specifically, the conceptual model thatwas used to test the nomological (predictive)validity of the community QOL measure wasfurther expanded and refined. The modifiedmeasure is based on the theoretical notion thatsatisfaction with the community at large(global community satisfaction) is mostlydetermined by satisfaction with governmentservices (police, fire/rescue, library, etc.),business services (banking/savings, insurance,department stores, etc.), nonprofit services(alcohol/drug abuse services, crisisintervention, religious services, etc.), aswell as satisfaction with other aspects of thecommunity such as quality of the environment,rate of change to the natural landscape, racerelations, cost of living, crime, ties withpeople, neighborhood, and housing. In turn,global community satisfaction together withsatisfaction with other overall life domains(work, family, leisure, etc.) affect globallife satisfaction. Survey data from a varietyof communities located in southwest Virginiawere collected to further test the nomologicalvalidity of the measure. The results providedadditional nomological validation support tothe community QOL measure.     

Quality of Life and Quality of Living Conditions in Rural Areas: Distinctively Perceived and Quantitatively Distinguished

In the last decades, large amount of effort and resources have been spent in projects and programs aiming to develop rural communities. The ultimate goal of such projects is supposed to be the improvement of the Quality of Life (QOL) of these communities. Although improving the Quality of the Living Conditions (QLC) is an acceptable strategy to reach that goal, all too often there is significant confusion between the two concepts. In this paper we argue that QLC and QOL can not be dissociated, but they are distinct. Our hypothesis is that we can make this distinction objectively. For that purpose, we develop an Index of the Quality of Living Conditions (IQLC) and an Index of the Quality of Life (IQOL). Each index is obtained by combining partial indicators of the conditions of several aspects in several dimensions (e.g., social, environmental, and economic). While the assessment of living conditions to obtain the IQLC is done by project staff, the IQOL is based on the manifestation of the farmers about their satisfaction in living those conditions. The IQLC and the IQOL result, then, from different views of the same aspects of life in a given context. Therefore, their objective measurement can be a useful instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of improvements on living conditions proposed by institutions and their professionals to improve the quality of life of rural communities.     

Well-Being in Older Gays and Lesbians: A Comparison of Predictors

This study aims to examine the predictors of subjective well-being and their variations between older gays and older lesbians. Participants were 143 gays and 66 lesbians aged 56–80 who reside in Israel. Assessments included subjective well-being, hope, health, participation, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADLs, environment and living conditions, and accessibility and availability of community services. In the fully-adjusted models, hope and health were the most potent predictors of subjective well-being, respectively, among gays and lesbians. Additional significant predictors, among gays, were community availability and accessibility and satisfaction with one’s environment and living conditions. Findings suggest that while primary predictors of subjective well-being are similar among gays and lesbians, communal and residential factors are unique significant contributors to the subjective well-being of gays. It may be that among older lesbians, but not among older gays, personal resources are more important contributors to subjective well-being in comparison to community-based resources.     

Socio-economic status and life satisfaction in Turkey

The relationship between one's objective living conditions and his/her subjective well-being is a problematic one. This paper discusses the results of a survey conducted in Turkey to explore the impacts of socio-economic status on satisfaction with various domains of life, and satisfaction of basic, and social and psychological needs. The results from the univariate, bivariate analyses and the multiple discriminant analysis indicate that socio-economic status is a strong determining factor in satisfaction with life domains and satisfaction of needs.     

城市居家老年人主观生活质量评价及其影响因素研究

本文根据城市居家老人生活质量评价的若干指标,对上海城市居家老人分事件类别的主观满意度及其整体生活状况的满意度进行了实证分析．并运用Logistic回归分析研究城市居家老人各生活质量因素对整体生活主观满意度的影响。研究发现影响整体生活满意度评价的因素是多方面的,有经济状况因素、身体健康因素、心理健康因素、社会支持因素、婚姻状况、参与老年活动因素。     

代际支持对老年人主观幸福感的影响--基于年龄组的差异性分析

本文从年龄组差异的角度分析了代际支持对老年人心理健康的影响。研究发现,在控制了客观健康状况等变量后,老年人的心理健康水平并非随着年龄增长呈现出下降趋势。其次,接受代际支持和给予代际支持都对老年人心理健康有着显著的促进作用。第三,对于不同年龄组来说,代际支持对老年人心理健康产生的效果既有共同点也存在着差异。相似之处在于充足的经济支持对65－74岁、75－84岁和85岁及以上这三个年龄组老人的心理健康都是有利的。然而,更突出的是这三个年龄组之间的相异点：对于65－74岁这一组别而言,老人与子女之间的经济交换最为频繁。这种经济上的互惠提升了老人的积极情绪、抑制了消极情绪的产生。就75－84岁的老年人来说,子女在日常照料的作用表现的十分显著。和子女共同居住、在生病时由子女照料的老人表现出更少的消极情绪。至于85岁以上的高龄老人,得到充足的情感支持对于提升主观幸福感的作用更为显著;最先和子女分享想法的老人有着更高的心理健康水平。因此就现实状况来看,当父母逐渐衰老,作为子女,应当更加关注对父母的日常照护和情感关怀。尤其是对于这些高龄老人,他们对子女的情感态度更为敏感;子女提供的充足的情感支持对其心理健康有着十分显著的促进作用。     

Social Capital Associated with Quality of Life Mediated by Employment Experiences: Evidence from a Random Sample of Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China

Working-age migrants need to possess adequate social capital in order to secure a stable and satisfactory job so that they can pursue a better quality of life (QOL). The positive relationship between social capital and vocational experiences, including successful employment, has been well established. In this study we focused on testing a multi-step mediation model linking social capital with employment experiences, and further to QOL. Survey data from rural-to-urban migrants randomly selected from Wuhan, China were analyzed. Social capital, including bonding and bridging capital, was measured using the Personal Social Capital Scale; employment experiences were measured using five job-related items; and QOL was measured using the Brief Symptoms Inventory. Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that job security and job satisfaction were positively and significantly associated with QOL, and social capital measures were significantly associated with higher QOL (primarily for males). Furthermore, job security and job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between social capital and QOL after controlling for covariates. Findings of this study suggest the significance of social capital, job security and satisfaction in improving migrants’ QOL, implying the importance of vocational experiences in mediating the effect from social capital to QOL. If the findings can be confirmed with longitudinal data, these factors should be considered in decision making to improve rural-to-urban migrants’ QOL in China.     

Cross cultural comparisons of quality of life of Thais and Americans

Comparisons of quality of life (QOL) measures across cultures of countries in different stages of economic development have been very scarce. This study attempts to fill the void in the literature by investigating the level of overall life satisfaction and satisfaction with various domains of lives of Thais and Americans. Additionally, the relationships between satisfaction with domains of life and overall life satisfaction in each culture have been explored. The results of this study indicate that Thais are less satisfied with their lives in general and most of the domains of their lives than Americans. However, both Thais and Americans tend to be more satisfied with their personal domains of lives than environmental domains of lives. In addition, satisfaction with material possessions is found to contribute significantly to overall life satisfaction of Thais but not Americans. This suggests that material wealth or economic development is still a vital mechanism for enhancing QOL of people in Thailand, but is not important for enhancing QOL of people in the U.S.