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Changing Communities, Community Satisfaction, and Quality of Life: A View of Multiple Perceived Indicators

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Abstract

The relationship between a community’s services and conditions, satisfaction, and overall quality of life were examined in this study. As these relationships respond to specific contextual and cultural settings, qualitative methods were used to account for their complexity and depth. Key informant interviews were conducted in two rural communities experiencing changes in their living conditions as they shifted to a tourism-driven economy. The study allowed a better understanding of how residents contextualized the abovementioned relationships. Findings suggest the need to account for pre-existing social arrangements, and current community interactional and organizational conditions to better understand resident’s perceived living conditions, community satisfaction and quality of life.

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Notes

  1. Community services and conditions will be understood here as living conditions. Sirgy et al. (2008) noted how satisfaction with community services and conditions played a large role in community-well being, also referred to as global satisfaction with one’s community, and perception of community quality of life, among others. To avoid confusion, the term community satisfaction will be used here to denote general satisfaction with community living conditions. Sirgy et al. (2008) also noted a positive relationship existing between community satisfaction and overall quality of life—noted here as quality of life.

  2. Between 1995 and 2005 Liberia and La Fortuna’s population grew by 34.7 and 70.4%, respectively. Economic growth was reflected in improved household conditions for both districts according to census data. From 1984 to 2000, the percentage of households in good conditions increased from 51 to 66% and from 35 to 58% in Liberia and La Fortuna, respectively (INEC 1984, 2000).

  3. According to a public relations brochure from Ecodesarrollo Papagayo (one of the major coastal development firms in the area), 43% of the project’s capital is from Costa Rican Nationals. Additionally, 57% of the investment is mixed capital (national and foreign capital)

  4. Liberia’s population by 2005 was 44,407 while 11, 528 for La Fortuna (INEC 2008).

  5. Damazio et al. (2007) indicated 85% of the enterprises located between La Fortuna and Ciudad Quesada (Canton’s capital located at 40 km) are micro and small scaled, 90% of which are family enterprises. Additionally, 92% of these enterprises are nationally owned and 84% of the capital invested is Costa Rican.

  6. Respondent’s age was recorded in a scale that ranged from 1 = 20–30; 2 = 31–40; 3 = 41–50; 4 = 51–60; and 5 = 61 and above. The mean age of Liberian respondents was 2.87 and 3.08 for La Fortunans interviewed.

  7. Terms such as ‘often’ or ‘the majority’ will be used in the findings section when referring to a theme that was clearly a topic of importance among the majority (over 51%) of the respondents. Terms like ‘to a lesser extent’ refers to topics mentioned by 50% or less of the respondents.

  8. The information provided by these informants, while used as a trustworthiness mechanism, is not reported in the finding’s section.

  9. After the country’s capital, the province of Guanacaste, in which Liberia is located, has the largest amount of construction area in Costa Rica (CCC 2008).

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Acknowledgment

I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and my colleagues Dr. A.E. Luloff, Dr. Alex McIntosh, Dr. Kyle Woosnam, and Dr. Corliss Outley for their comments and suggestions which helped me to improve this manuscript.

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  1. Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, 311 Francis Hall, 2261 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    David Matarrita-Cascante

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Correspondence to David Matarrita-Cascante.

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Matarrita-Cascante, D. Changing Communities, Community Satisfaction, and Quality of Life: A View of Multiple Perceived Indicators. Soc Indic Res 98, 105–127 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-009-9520-z

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