Sense of macro-level belonging supported university students’ life satisfaction amid global threats: evidence from Latvia’s first COVID-19 wave

Dealing with global threats challenges individual wellbeing. This study tested a path model, predicting satisfaction with life by the joint factor of perceived epidemiological, ecological, and economic threats via the perceived stability of and belonging to one's country. Data were collected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia in 2020 from 317 university students aged 18-48 years (<i>M</i> = 23.65, <i>SD</i> = 5.98, 73% females, 60% employed). The measurements included satisfaction with life; relational and spatiotemporal components of the sense of belonging to the country; perceived stability of the country; and perceived impact of epidemics, climate change, natural disasters, and economic crises. There were no direct effects of perceived threats on the variables, except for a positive association with relational belonging. Both components of belonging positively predicted satisfaction with life, and the relational component transferred a minimal positive indirect effect of perceived threats. The perceived stability of Latvia correlated with both components of belonging and did not affect satisfaction with life. Demographic covariates did not substantially alter the model. In summary, the macro-level sense of belonging showed the strongest association with satisfaction with life, aligning with previous findings on the activation of social ties under threatening conditions.