Associations Among Trust, Optimism, Resilience, and Life Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines the associations among financial and psychological variables and overall life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a unique dataset of 3,570 respondents with low-to-moderate income, this study investigates the impact of socio-economic variables, trust in financial institutions, optimism, and resilience on life satisfaction with hierarchical linear least squares regression analysis. Data was collected online via Qualtrics during November 17 – December 15, 2021. The results suggest that trust in financial institutions, optimism, personality type, and resilience play a significant role in life satisfaction. These findings suggest financial counselors and educators should stress the importance of psychological variables associated with life satisfaction.