Factors Affecting the Quality of Life of Residents in the United States
Lessons From Virginia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4388378 |
|---|---|
| Authors | D K Pryce (0000-0001-5859-6116, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, College of Arts & Letters Old Dominion University Norfolk Virginia USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 256 |
| Pages | 427-437 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Social Science Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-8701 • E-ISSN: 1468-2451 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/issj.12561 |
| OpenAlex | W4407594424 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 40 |
Evaluating community members' views about their quality of life is important for improving quality of well-being in society, as most societies are interested in the collective well-being of the people. Moreover, quality-of-life research helps public officials to understand how well they are meeting the needs of the electorate. Using the theoretical framework of Maslow's Developmental Perspective, which argues that the higher the need satisfaction of the majority in a given society the greater the quality of life of that society, I explore the effects of multiple variables on quality of life in the Hampton Roads region of Southeast Virginia (this region has approximately 1.5 million people). Using data from a random sample of 639 respondents who reside in the Hampton Roads region, I found that, compared to Whites, Black respondents had a lower quality of life. Moreover, the more highly educated, those with higher incomes, and those who were married indicated that they had a higher quality of life. Finally, economic conditions, personal finances, personal health, quality of medical and health care and the quality of the public school system all predicted community members' quality of life. Of the substantive predictors, economic conditions had the strongest predictive effect on quality of life in the Hampton Roads region. The implications of the findings for scholars, elected officials, community relations, public policy and future research are discussed
Economic growth · Economics · Health care · Maslow's hierarchy of needs · Perspective (graphical) · Political science · Public health · Quality (philosophy) · Quality of life (healthcare) · Sample (material) · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Nursing · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies · Gerontology
Social Indicators of Well-Being
Capitalism and Freedom
Inequality and happiness
Does education improve citizenship? Evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom
What's the good of education on our overall quality of life? A simultaneous equation model of education and life satisfaction for Australia
Confounding and collinearity in regression analysis
Economic Growth and Subjective Well-Being
The happiness–income paradox revisited
Income Inequality Explains Why Economic Growth Does Not Always Translate to an Increase in Happiness
Well-being over time in Britain and the USA
What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?
Adaptation to Poverty in Long-Run Panel Data
Public Opinion on Immigration Law Enforcement, Support for the Police, and Obligation to Report Undocumented Immigrants to the Police
Transportation, community quality of life, and life satisfaction in metro and non-metro areas of the United States
Elements of a Sociological Contribution to Happiness Studies
Does School Quality Matter? Returns to Education and the Characteristics of Public Schools in the United States
The Declining Significance of Race
The Possible Protective Effect of Marital Status in Quality of Life Among Elders in a U.S.-Mexico Border City
U.S. Residents’ Current Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration
The Continuing Significance of Race Revisited
The effect of chronic pain on life satisfaction
Social Inequalities in Happiness in the United States, 1972 to 2004
What drives unhappiness? A cross-country analysis
Freedom from fear and subjective well-being
Testing importance weighting
A Quality-of-Life Theory Derived from Maslow's Developmental Perspective
Wealth and Happiness Revisited - Growing National Income Does Go with Greater Happiness
Toward a Quality of Life Theory
Is happiness relative
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |