An exploratory study examining the relationships between the leisure‐related variables and subjective well‐being of community residents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between leisure‐related variables and individuals’ subjective well‐being (SWB). This study employed the systematic random sampling strategy using 2005 Bloomington Telephone Directory. A total of 172 out of 535 households were selected in a self‐administered drop‐off/mail‐back questionnaire survey. Seventy‐seven female (49%) and 80 male (51%) residents in a small Midwestern town in the United States responded to the questionnaire. The overall response rate for the survey was approximately 30 per cent. Model fit statistics demonstrated that the relationship between leisure variables and SWB in the proposed model fit the data well. Supporting relationships is an important contribution to the leisure literature in the sense that leisure variables might have various direct and indirect effects on individuals’ SWB through leisure satisfaction. The finding of this study suggested that people who perceive leisure more positively may be more satisfied in their lives. Future research should study linkages between leisure variables and SWB from qualitative and longitudinal approaches.