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Description
This study examines the relationship between perceived neighborhood environment characteristics and neighborhood satisfaction and the moderating effects of age, gender, education, and race/ethnicity. Neighborhood satisfaction has been related to various environmental components, but the moderating effects of individual-level demographics on the association have not been closely examined. The analysis used cross-sectional data from the National Quality of Life Study (NQLS) collected from 2002-2005 from respondents in the Seattle and Baltimore regions. The study population was aged 20-66, 48.3% were female, 75.6% were White, and 59.4% had an income above $60,000. The environment was measured with Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS), and neighborhood satisfaction was assessed as a mean of 17 satisfaction survey items and as 5 factors of these items. A previous factor analysis yielded the following neighborhood satisfaction factors: Safety and Walkability, Access to Destinations, Social Network, Travel Network, and Traffic and Noise. Analyses were completed using mixed effects linear regression. Higher levels of pedestrian/traffic safety, aesthetics, crime safety, walking/cycling facilities, land use mix-diversity, and land use mix-access were found to be associated with higher levels of neighborhood satisfaction, and residential density was found to be negatively associated with neighborhood satisfaction. Pedestrian and traffic safety, aesthetics, and crime safety were shown to be the strongest neighborhood environment correlates of various dimensions of neighborhood satisfaction, and individual-level variables were found to moderate the association between some of the neighborhood environment characteristics and satisfaction. Most interesting were the street connectivity by gender interaction on mean neighborhood satisfaction and the street connectivity by race/ethnicity interaction on satisfaction with traffic and noise. The relationship was positive among females and non-Whites while a negative relationship was seen among males and Whites. Also noteworthy is the interaction showing that those with higher levels of education reported negative, linear relationships between residential density and satisfaction with social network and satisfaction with safety and walkability. Higher educated individuals also reported linear relationships (positive) between pedestrian/traffic safety and satisfaction with social network and satisfaction with safety and walkability. However, linear relationships were not seen among those with less education. Further research should delve into reasons for apparent neighborhood satisfaction differences among demographic sub-groups. Planners and policymakers will need to take such demographic differences into account when designing and/or revitalizing neighborhoods to ensure that all populations will be sufficiently satisfied with their neighborhoods.
