Determinants of Residential Satisfaction During the Initial Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Xiangyang City, China

Dinghuan Yuan; Haoyuan Yu; Wenyi Lin; Lisi Zha

doi:10.3389/ijph.2023.1606016

Determinants of Residential Satisfaction During the Initial Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Xiangyang City, China

Int J Public Health. 2023 Nov 28:68:1606016. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1606016. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Dinghuan Yuan^{1

2}, Haoyuan Yu¹, Wenyi Lin^{1

3}, Lisi Zha⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Administration and Emergency Management, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
² Public Policy Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
³ Common Prosperity and National Governance Institute, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ School of Public Administration, Guangdong University of Finance and Economics, Guangzhou, China.

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the impacts of psychological character strengths, self-efficacy, and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on residential satisfaction at the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods: To achieve the study aim, we collected data from 281 observations from Xiangyang City, China, via an online survey. Data were analyzed using linear regression. Results: Character strengths and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases significantly impacted residential satisfaction. While self-efficacy did not directly impact residential satisfaction, it moderated the relationship between the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and residential satisfaction. The control variables of social trust and shared value positively impacted residential satisfaction, and their influence on residential satisfaction was higher than that of character strengths. The sociodemographic variables of marriage, age, educational attainment, and housing area per capita also impacted residential satisfaction significantly. However, strong ties and weak ties became insignificant variables due to social distancing strategies. Conclusion: The study findings offer insights for local governments to enhance residential satisfaction in the community to avoid social panic during unpredictable threats or future pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; character strengths; residential satisfaction; self-efficacy; social capital.

MeSH terms

Academic Success
COVID-19* / epidemiology
China / epidemiology
Educational Status
Humans
Pandemics
Personal Satisfaction*
Residence Characteristics

Grants and funding

This work was supported by [National Natural Science Foundation of China] under Grant [Project No. 72104090]; [Yangcheng Youth Scholar Project of Philosophy and Social Science Planning of Guangzhou] under Grant [Project No. 2023GZQN18]; [Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities] under Grant [Project No. 23JNQN07]; [Philosophy and Social Sciences of Guangdong Province] under Grant [Project No. GD20CGL02] and [Philosophy and Social Sciences of Guangzhou City] under Grant [Project No. 2022GZGJ180] [the 2022 Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Project of Shenzhen] under Grant [Project No: SZ2022B023].