Abstract
This paper reports and analyzes the quality of life perceptions held by the inhabitants of two culturally different but demographically similar cities: Springfield, Illinois and Aix-en-Provence, France. Although the Springfielders expressed greater satisfaction than the Aixois in virtually all the life domains covered by the research, the areas of relative satisfaction and dissatisfaction were remarkably similar in the two cities; furthermore, the domains in which the French indicated the least satisfaction were generally ones where their objective quality of life conditions were inferior to those of their American counterparts. Multiple regression techniques are used to trace the relative contribution of domain satisfactions and demographic characteristics in explaining respondents' comparative life enjoyment and reported levels of happiness.
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The research for this study was supported in part by a sabbatical leave awarded by Sangamon State University where the Center for the Study of Middle-Size Cities provided administrative support. We feel no small embarrassment at claiming authorship of this paper when so many others provided ideas for improving it. We thank especially the editor and an anonomous referee for their comments about the penultimate draft, and the following for their suggestions about earlier drafts: Angus Campbell, Jay Foley, Mark Heyman, Gordon Lewis, William Moskoff, Tom Smith and Sharon Whitehill.
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Ostroot, N., Shin, D. & Snyder, W. Quality of life perceptions in two cultures. Soc Indic Res 11, 113–138 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302745
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302745