Housing and Subjective Well-Being in Hong Kong : A Structural Equation Model

The relationship between housing and subjective well-being is receiving growing attention in social research and social policy. However, the mechanisms among housing and subjective well-being, and the mediating role of housing factors between income and subjective well-being was unclear in previous studies. This study aims to investigate the relationship between income, housing, and subjective well-being, and their interacting effects among housing dimensions in Hong Kong, an example of a global city with a dense population and unaffordable housing. A random sample survey of 1480 adult participants in Hong Kong was used for the analysis. Structural equation modelling was applied in studying the path relationships among the key variables. Subjective well-being was predicted by income and housing factors, including housing expense, living density, housing environment problems, and housing satisfaction. The results showed that the impact of income on subjective well-being was partially mediated by housing factors. In group analysis by housing tenure, the housing factors exerted a larger influence on the private rental housing group. This study contributed to highlighting the role of housing factors in happiness studies and the importance of the interaction among housing factors and housing tenures in analyses. The implications of these results and their limitations are discussed.