Mainland Chinese Canadian Immigrants' Leisure Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being: Results of a Two-Year Longitudinal Study

An article written by Prof. Gordon J. Walker (Distinguished University Professor, Wakayama University / Professor, University of Alberta) and Dr. Eiji Ito (Wakayama University), was published in a tourism academic journal, the Leisure Sciences.

 

Title

Mainland Chinese Canadian Immigrants' Leisure Satisfaction and Subjective Well-Being: Results of a Two-Year Longitudinal Study

 

Author

Gordon J. Walker, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Eiji Ito, Faculty of Tourism, Wakayama University, Wakayama City, Japan

 

Source

Leisure Sciences, 2017 Vol. 39, No. 2, 174-185

DOI: 10.1080/01490400.2016.1156040

*Indexed in Scopus

Source details: https://www.scopus.com/sourceid/28910?origin=sbrowse

 

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether recent Chinese Canadian immigrants’ (a) leisure satisfaction, happiness, and life satisfaction changed over a two-year period and (b) if leisure satisfaction affected their subjective well-being (SWB) over this same period. Participants completed an initial, trilingual telephone questionnaire (N = 220) and then were recontacted every six months for two years. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that leisure satisfaction decreased over the two-year period, likely because of “leisure shock,” employment of a “withdrawn”strategy, or both. The results also showed that leisure satisfaction significantly and positively affected happiness and life satisfaction. Study limitations are identified, theoretical and practical implications are discussed, and future research recommendations are outlined.

 

Key words

Chinese; happiness; immigration; leisure; life satisfaction; quality of life