Abstract
Introduction: Adolescence is crucial for human flourishing and strongly influences having meaning in life. We investigated the association between local public library density as a shared resource and motivational orientation toward their occupation in Japanese adolescents. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted using data from a nationwide birth cohort survey in Japan (n = 12,184). At age 7, their caregivers answered questionnaires on children including the number of books read. Library density (low, moderate, or high) in each municipality was obtained from national statistics. At age 15, the adolescents indicated whether they had decided on an occupation and selected motivational orientations from among intrinsic (own ability and interest), extrinsic (high earnings, social class, or job stability), and altruistic (social contribution) orientations. Multilevel linear probability models were fitted, adjusting for confounders, including household socioeconomic status and city size. Results: Intrinsic, extrinsic, and altruistic motivations for desired occupation were reported by 40.7%, 31.9% and 41.8% of participants, respectively. Living in a municipality with a high library density at age 7 was associated with having intrinsic motivation at age 15 than low density by 3.1 percentage points (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.35, 5.85). The association was more prominent for those with lower income (P for interaction = 0.026). Neither extrinsic nor altruistic motivations were associated with library density (coefficient: −0.13; 95% CI: −2.81, 2.56; coefficient: 0.08; 95% CI: −2.72, 2.88 percentage points, respectively). Conclusions: Developing libraries in communities could encourage intrinsic motivation in adolescents, specifically for those in low-income households.
Highlights
Published: 25 October 2021Having meaning in life is a central part of human flourishing [1]; such meaning has three components: a sense of a core goal, a sense of the inherent value of life, and a comprehensive understanding of the self and the world [2]
This study found that library density in the municipality of residence at the age of 7 was positively associated with the possession of intrinsic motivation for an occupation desired at the age of 15
This study added to the literature that community-level factors such as public library density are associated with adolescents’ intrinsic motivation for their career choice
Summary
Published: 25 October 2021Having meaning in life is a central part of human flourishing [1]; such meaning has three components: a sense of a core goal (i.e., purpose), a sense of the inherent value of life (i.e., significance), and a comprehensive understanding of the self and the world (i.e., coherence) [2]. Youth is a crucial period for forming a sense of meaning [3], and benefits of having meaning in life for health outcomes are reported throughout life. As a result of these observations, meaning in life has become a potential target for public health intervention [1,5,7]. People experience a sense of meaning when they are intrinsically motivated to pursue their occupation [8,9]. People achieve a sense of meaning in their occupation when they can develop their inner selves, express their full potential, feel united with others, and serve others [8,9]
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