Wellbeing in older ages: What is the role of residential satisfaction, and neighborhood cohesion?

The increase in the older population has generated interest in the question of how to enhance livable environments which will support healthy aging. Important elements of that environment are the house and the neighborhood, and what they bring to livability and wellbeing. There has always been theoretical interest in understanding the dimensions of residential satisfaction and in this research, we provide new thinking about satisfaction and wellbeing by exploring how neighborhood social cohesion and perceptions of neighborhood quality help us understand residential satisfaction. The research adds to our interpretation of interest in how residential satisfaction interacts with wellbeing in older age adults. The analysis uses data from the Housing Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey (HILDA) to construct models of subjective wellbeing as a function of housing satisfaction and neighborhood connection and cohesion. The analysis shows that the interactions of perceived neighborhood quality, neighborhood connections, and feeling part of the community are important contributors to overall subjective wellbeing. The addition of variables which measure feelings of safety emphasizes how important this concern is for wellbeing.