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‘Peace in a Thatched Hut—that is Happiness’: Subjective Wellbeing Among Peasants in Rural China

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Abstract

Existing research about subjective wellbeing (SWB) in China is confined to student and urban samples, even though 60% of the population reside in rural areas. It is reasonable to predict that there could be a rural-urban difference in SWB as there is a marked difference in objective (socio-economic) measures of wellbeing. The present study measured SWB within a sample of Chinese peasants living in a remote farming village. The results show that despite their relatively low socioeconomic conditions, the rural residents’ satisfaction levels were within the normative range for the Chinese population, and generally did not differ significantly from a previously published study in an affluent Chinese region (Hong Kong). In-depth interviews with participants revealed that the lower living conditions in the rural area are not adverse to drive SWB below the normative range.

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Notes

  1. In China, a township is an administrative unit. Several villages are grouped into townships, which are then grouped into districts.

  2. Guanxi is an important concept in Chinese culture and society that denotes the importance of personal connections between people. It serves as a network of social contacts that individuals use when they need to do or get something.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Zhanjun Xing (Centre for Personnel Evaluation & Social Survey Research, Shandong Province) for his help with translating the PWI scale.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Gareth Davey

  2. Psychology Department, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, China

    Zhenghui Chen

  3. Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China

    Anna Lau

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  1. Gareth Davey
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  2. Zhenghui Chen
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  3. Anna Lau
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Correspondence to Gareth Davey.

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Davey, G., Chen, Z. & Lau, A. ‘Peace in a Thatched Hut—that is Happiness’: Subjective Wellbeing Among Peasants in Rural China. J Happiness Stud 10, 239–252 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-007-9078-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-007-9078-x

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