Factors Affecting the Quality of Life of Residents in the United States: Lessons From Virginia

ABSTRACT Evaluating community members’ views about their quality of life is important for improving quality of well‐being in society, as most societies are interested in the collective well‐being of the people. Moreover, quality‐of‐life research helps public officials to understand how well they are meeting the needs of the electorate. Using the theoretical framework of Maslow's Developmental Perspective, which argues that the higher the need satisfaction of the majority in a given society the greater the quality of life of that society, I explore the effects of multiple variables on quality of life in the Hampton Roads region of Southeast Virginia (this region has approximately 1.5 million people). Using data from a random sample of 639 respondents who reside in the Hampton Roads region, I found that, compared to Whites, Black respondents had a lower quality of life. Moreover, the more highly educated, those with higher incomes, and those who were married indicated that they had a higher quality of life. Finally, economic conditions, personal finances, personal health, quality of medical and health care and the quality of the public school system all predicted community members’ quality of life. Of the substantive predictors, economic conditions had the strongest predictive effect on quality of life in the Hampton Roads region. The implications of the findings for scholars, elected officials, community relations, public policy and future research are discussed.