Housing Conditions, Neighbourhood Area and Life Satisfaction in Old Age

Elena Pirani (), Maria Veronica Dorgali (), Valentina Tocchioni () and Alessandra Petrucci ()
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Elena Pirani: Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Università di Firenze, https://www.disia.unifi.it
Maria Veronica Dorgali: Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Università di Firenze, https://www.disia.unifi.it
Valentina Tocchioni: Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Università di Firenze, https://www.disia.unifi.it
Alessandra Petrucci: Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti", Università di Firenze, https://www.disia.unifi.it

No 2024_06, Econometrics Working Papers Archive from Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti"

Abstract: In this study, we contribute to the growing, albeit still limited, body of research on the importance of the living environment for individual well-being, focusing on the population aged 65 and over in Italy. We explore life satisfaction, a cognitive component of an individual's well-being that may help evaluate individuals' ability to adapt to life changes and challenges of ageing. We investigate various aspects of the living environment, both the indoor characteristics of the housing, its quality and adequacy, and the outdoor features of the immediate neighbourhood environment, its liveability and accessibility. The study provides robust evidence that adequate housing conditions might positively influence the life satisfaction of Italian older adults. Besides, we found that aspects relative to the living environment, namely area friendliness, its maintenance and (absence of) pollution, and the ease of access to shops and services are valuable for a satisfying life. Importantly, whether an inevitable overlap between these characteristics may exist, both housing and neighbourhood living conditions, in their various facets, exert a separate, specific, and substantial role in life satisfaction. Our results might inform city planning interventions about the advantages of creating friendly communities and well-designed urban spaces to support active ageing.

Keywords: living environment; well-being; older adults; composite indicators; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2024-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-age, nep-hap, nep-ltv and nep-ure
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