IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/soinre/v122y2015i1p135-146.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Are People Who Participate in Cultural Activities More Satisfied with Life?

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Brown
  • Ronald MacDonald
  • Richard Mitchell

Abstract

The influence of various aspects of life on wellbeing has been extensively researched. However, despite little empirical evidence, participation in leisure activities has been assumed to increase subjective wellbeing. Leisure is important because it is more under personal control than other sources of life satisfaction. This study asked whether people who participate in cultural leisure activities have higher life satisfaction than people who do not, if different types of leisure have the same influence on life satisfaction and if satisfaction is dependent on the frequency of participation or the number of activities undertaken. It used data from UKHLS Survey to establish associations between type, number and frequency of participation in leisure activities and life satisfaction. Results showed an independent and positive association of participation in sport, heritage and active-creative leisure activities and life satisfaction but not for participation in popular entertainment, theatre hobbies and museum/galleries. The association of reading hobbies and sedentary-creative activities and life satisfaction was negative. High life satisfaction was associated with engaging in a number of different activities rather than the frequency of participation in each of them. The results have implications for policy makers and leisure services providers, in particular those associated with heritage recreation. Subjective wellbeing measures, such as life satisfaction, and not economic measures alone should be considered in the evaluation of services. The promotion of leisure activities which are active and promote social interaction should be considered in programmes aimed at improving the quality of life. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Brown & Ronald MacDonald & Richard Mitchell, 2015. "Are People Who Participate in Cultural Activities More Satisfied with Life?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 135-146, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:122:y:2015:i:1:p:135-146
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-014-0678-7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11205-014-0678-7
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11205-014-0678-7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Christopher Boyce & Alex Wood & Nattavudh Powdthavee, 2013. "Is Personality Fixed? Personality Changes as Much as “Variable” Economic Factors and More Strongly Predicts Changes to Life Satisfaction," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 111(1), pages 287-305, March.
    2. Mina Daraei & Artmiz Mohajery, 2013. "The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Life Satisfaction," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 112(1), pages 69-81, May.
    3. J. Pretty & J. Peacock & R. Hine & M. Sellens & N. South & M. Griffin, 2007. "Green exercise in the UK countryside: Effects on health and psychological well-being, and implications for policy and planning," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 211-231.
    4. Sarah Fleche & Conal Smith & Piritta Sorsa, 2011. "Exploring Determinants of Subjective Wellbeing in OECD Countries: Evidence from the World Value Survey," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 921, OECD Publishing.
    5. Lynn, Peter, 2009. "Sample design for Understanding Society," Understanding Society Working Paper Series 2009-01, Understanding Society at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    6. Bernhard Christoph & Heinz-Herbert Noll, 2003. "Subjective Well-Being in the European Union during the 90ies," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 64(3), pages 521-546, December.
    7. Yukiko Uchida & Vinai Norasakkunkit & Shinobu Kitayama, 2004. "Cultural constructions of happiness: theory and emprical evidence," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 5(3), pages 223-239, September.
    8. Kathleen Lloyd & Christopher Auld, 2002. "The Role of Leisure in Determining Quality of Life: Issues of Content and Measurement," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 43-71, January.
    9. Mitchell, Richard, 2013. "Is physical activity in natural environments better for mental health than physical activity in other environments?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 130-134.
    10. Evren Agyar, 2014. "Contribution of Perceived Freedom and Leisure Satisfaction to Life Satisfaction in a Sample of Turkish Women," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(1), pages 1-15, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jelle Schoemaker, 2023. "A Review of Well-Being Valuation for Sports, Culture and Leisure Activities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-12, March.
    2. Massimo Mucciardi & Giovanni Pirrotta & Mary Ellen Toffle, 2024. "Measuring the spatial concentration of the main foreign communities residing in Italy using a new approach," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 78(1), pages 142-154, January-M.
    3. Fabrice Murtin & Leonardo Zanobetti, 2024. "The Art of Living Well: Cultural Participation and Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(4), pages 1763-1790, August.
    4. Seira Iida, 2019. "Structure of life satisfaction from the perspective of arts experiences in Japan," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, December.
    5. Paul Downward & Peter Dawson, 2016. "Is it Pleasure or Health from Leisure that We Benefit from Most? An Analysis of Well-Being Alternatives and Implications for Policy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 443-465, March.
    6. Malte Jetzke & Michael Mutz, 2020. "Sport for Pleasure, Fitness, Medals or Slenderness? Differential Effects of Sports Activities on Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(5), pages 1519-1534, November.
    7. María del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes & María del Mar Molero Jurado & José Jesús Gázquez Linares & Nieves Fátima Oropesa Ruiz & María del Mar Simón Márquez & Mahia Saracostti, 2019. "Parenting Practices, Life Satisfaction, and the Role of Self-Esteem in Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-15, October.
    8. Anita Abramowska-Kmon, 2022. "What Makes People Aged 50+ in Poland Happy? The Role of Lifestyle: Evidence from Panel Data," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(6), pages 3221-3252, December.
    9. Choung, Youngjoo & Pak, Tae-Young & Chatterjee, Swarn, 2021. "Consumption and Life Satisfaction: The Korean Evidence," MPRA Paper 115765, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Tiia Kekäläinen & Terhi-Anna Wilska & Katja Kokko, 2017. "Leisure Consumption and well-Being among Older Adults: Does Age or Life Situation Matter?," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 12(3), pages 671-691, September.
    11. Bertacchini, Enrico & Venturini, Alessandra & Misuraca, Roberta & Zotti, Roberto, 2022. "Exploring the relationship between subjective well-being and diversity and intensity in cultural consumption," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202219, University of Turin.
    12. Michael Mutz & Anne K. Reimers & Yolanda Demetriou, 2021. "Leisure Time Sports Activities and Life Satisfaction: Deeper Insights Based on a Representative Survey from Germany," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(5), pages 2155-2171, October.
    13. Bertacchini, Enrico & Bolognesi, Valentina & Venturini, Alessandra & Zotti, Roberto, 2021. "The Happy Cultural Omnivore? Exploring the Relationship between Cultural Consumption Patterns and Subjective Well-Being," IZA Discussion Papers 14749, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Yan Li & Md. Main Uddin & Ye An, 2020. "Has financial development benefited the performance of publicly traded cultural and creative firms? Evidence from China," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 44(3), pages 351-395, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Junia N. de Brito & Zachary C. Pope & Nathan R. Mitchell & Ingrid E. Schneider & Jean M. Larson & Teresa H. Horton & Mark A. Pereira, 2019. "Changes in Psychological and Cognitive Outcomes after Green versus Suburban Walking: A Pilot Crossover Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-12, August.
    2. Seira Iida, 2019. "Structure of life satisfaction from the perspective of arts experiences in Japan," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Johannes Machiel Dreyer & Noor Azlin Yahya & Nik Azyyati Abd Kadir, 2019. "Visitor’s perceptions of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) as an urban open space for environmental learning: results of a qualitative study," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1933-1945, August.
    4. Mahan, Joseph E. & Seo, Won Jae & Jordan, Jeremy S. & Funk, Daniel, 2015. "Exploring the impact of social networking sites on running involvement, running behavior, and social life satisfaction," Sport Management Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 182-192.
    5. Sarah Flèche & Richard Layard, 2017. "Do More of Those in Misery Suffer from Poverty, Unemployment or Mental Illness?," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(1), pages 27-41, February.
    6. Prinz, Aloys & Bünger, Björn, 2009. "From full life to balanced life: Extending Martin Seligman's route to happiness," CAWM Discussion Papers 17, University of Münster, Münster Center for Economic Policy (MEP).
    7. Fatih Terzi & Handan Türkoğlu & Fulin Bölen & Perver Baran & Tayfun Salihoğlu, 2015. "Residents’ Perception of Cultural Activities as Quality of Life in Istanbul," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 122(1), pages 211-234, May.
    8. Altorjai, Szilvia, 2013. "Over-qualification of immigrants in the UK," ISER Working Paper Series 2013-11, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    9. S. Brent Jackson & Kathryn T. Stevenson & Lincoln R. Larson & M. Nils Peterson & Erin Seekamp, 2021. "Outdoor Activity Participation Improves Adolescents’ Mental Health and Well-Being during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-18, March.
    10. M. Sirgy, 2011. "Theoretical Perspectives Guiding QOL Indicator Projects," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 103(1), pages 1-22, August.
    11. Martin Binder, 2016. "Revisiting Cheerful Jane and Miserable John: the impact of income, good health, social contacts and education declines with increasing subjective well-being," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(8), pages 544-553, May.
    12. Yoko Mimura, 2023. "Save Today for a Happier Tomorrow: Associations Between Happiness and Financial Preparation in Japan," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1261-1281, March.
    13. Dong, Han & Zhang, Jun & Cirillo, Cinzia, 2019. "Exploring, understanding, and modeling the reciprocal relation between leisure and subjective well-being," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 813-824.
    14. Rui-Ping Zhang, 2016. "Positive Affect and Self-Efficacy as Mediators Between Personality and Life Satisfaction in Chinese College Freshmen," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 2007-2021, October.
    15. Jiang, Wenhao & Stickley, Andrew & Ueda, Michiko, 2021. "Green space and suicide mortality in Japan: An ecological study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    16. Erik Carlquist & Pål Ulleberg & Antonella Delle Fave & Hilde E. Nafstad & Rolv M. Blakar, 2017. "Everyday Understandings of Happiness, Good Life, and Satisfaction: Three Different Facets of Well-being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 12(2), pages 481-505, June.
    17. Mequanint B. Melesse & Amos Nyangira Tirra & Yabibal M. Walle & Michael Hauser, 2023. "Understanding the Determinants of Aspirations in Rural Tanzania: Does Financial Literacy Matter?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(6), pages 1294-1321, December.
    18. Heiko Rüger & Stefanie Hoherz & Norbert F. Schneider & Herbert Fliege & Maria M. Bellinger & Brenton M. Wiernik, 2023. "The Effects of Urban Living Conditions on Subjective Well-Being: The Case of German Foreign Service Employees," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(4), pages 1939-1963, August.
    19. Binder, Martin & Coad, Alex, 2013. "“I'm afraid I have bad news for you…” Estimating the impact of different health impairments on subjective well-being," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 155-167.
    20. Jan Eichhorn, 2013. "Unemployment Needs Context: How Societal Differences between Countries Moderate the Loss in Life-Satisfaction for the Unemployed," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(6), pages 1657-1680, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:122:y:2015:i:1:p:135-146. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.