The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments

Population aging has become one of the most urgent social issues in developed countries. However, its impact on the well-being of the population is understudied. In this study, we analysed happiness as one of the key components of well-being. The differences in the determinants and structures of hap...

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Main Authors: Stanislava Golubchenko, Sumiko Ishibashi, Takeshi So, Mamoru Taniguchi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Regional Studies, Regional Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21681376.2024.2435854
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author Stanislava Golubchenko
Sumiko Ishibashi
Takeshi So
Mamoru Taniguchi
author_facet Stanislava Golubchenko
Sumiko Ishibashi
Takeshi So
Mamoru Taniguchi
author_sort Stanislava Golubchenko
collection DOAJ
description Population aging has become one of the most urgent social issues in developed countries. However, its impact on the well-being of the population is understudied. In this study, we analysed happiness as one of the key components of well-being. The differences in the determinants and structures of happiness in municipalities with urban environments characterised by varying degrees of progress of problems related to population aging are studied. It was revealed that indicators related to subjective personal assessments of social stability and future aspirations influence happiness more than socioeconomic and demographic indicators or the indicators of the urban environment. Three factors (‘Socioeconomic stability’, ‘A sense of decline’ and ‘Residential satisfaction’) defined by various indicators contribute to the structure of happiness. ‘Socioeconomic stability’, related to subjective feelings and assessments of social aspects of life, was confirmed to be the strongest determinant in all types. Still, the impact of ‘Residential satisfaction’ is also significant and notable. The results demonstrate some differences in the determinants of happiness and thus suggest different policies would be appropriate to improve happiness in different types. For example, some areas need to develop infrastructure that is more suited to the needs of their population, whereas creating challenging jobs appears to be the priority in others.
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spelling doaj-art-e83e667d8e994196bf7facdde08b57d42025-08-20T02:52:13ZengTaylor & Francis GroupRegional Studies, Regional Science2168-13762024-12-0111179881610.1080/21681376.2024.2435854The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environmentsStanislava Golubchenko0Sumiko Ishibashi1Takeshi So2Mamoru Taniguchi3Department of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanDepartment of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanResearch Center for Future Engineering, Reitaku University, Kashiwa, JapanDepartment of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanPopulation aging has become one of the most urgent social issues in developed countries. However, its impact on the well-being of the population is understudied. In this study, we analysed happiness as one of the key components of well-being. The differences in the determinants and structures of happiness in municipalities with urban environments characterised by varying degrees of progress of problems related to population aging are studied. It was revealed that indicators related to subjective personal assessments of social stability and future aspirations influence happiness more than socioeconomic and demographic indicators or the indicators of the urban environment. Three factors (‘Socioeconomic stability’, ‘A sense of decline’ and ‘Residential satisfaction’) defined by various indicators contribute to the structure of happiness. ‘Socioeconomic stability’, related to subjective feelings and assessments of social aspects of life, was confirmed to be the strongest determinant in all types. Still, the impact of ‘Residential satisfaction’ is also significant and notable. The results demonstrate some differences in the determinants of happiness and thus suggest different policies would be appropriate to improve happiness in different types. For example, some areas need to develop infrastructure that is more suited to the needs of their population, whereas creating challenging jobs appears to be the priority in others.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21681376.2024.2435854Well-beinghappinessliveabilitypopulation agingurban aging problemsmunicipality typology
spellingShingle Stanislava Golubchenko
Sumiko Ishibashi
Takeshi So
Mamoru Taniguchi
The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments
Regional Studies, Regional Science
Well-being
happiness
liveability
population aging
urban aging problems
municipality typology
title The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments
title_full The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments
title_fullStr The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments
title_full_unstemmed The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments
title_short The determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments
title_sort determinants and structure of happiness in different urban environments
topic Well-being
happiness
liveability
population aging
urban aging problems
municipality typology
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21681376.2024.2435854
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