Predicting citizen satisfaction with the quality of urban life: A mathematical model for assisting urban decision makers

Abstract

In the fall of 1977 and winter of 1978, nearly 7000 citizens living in the Greater Flint Area (Michgan, U.S.A.). were interviewed in depth to assess the community's quality of life. This survey was sponsored by The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation for the purpose of developing an information system usable to grassroots and community-wide decision-making groups. The data were analyzed for each of 42 neighborhoods, as well as for the total area. The purpose of this paper is to explain a predictive model developed by using multiple linear regression techniques. Thirty-eight factors were regressed against two dependent variables : 1. (1) Citizen satisfaction with the quality of life in the Flint area. 2. (2) Citizen satisfaction with the quality of life in the neighborhood. The 38 independent factors used in the modeling represented various social and psychological aspects of community life. It is believed that a knowledge of how these human dimensions contribute to citizens satisfaction with the quality of community life will sensitize leaders to the likely outcomes of their community development policies.