The Effects of Gender and Perception of Community Safety on Happiness

126 Pages·2017·1.43 MB·English

Antioch University
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Dissertations & Theses
2017
The Effects of Gender and Perception of
Community Safety on Happiness
Jennifer K. Daffon
Antioch University Seattle
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Daffon, Jennifer K., "The Effects of Gender and Perception of Community Safety on Happiness" (2017).Dissertations & Theses. 346.
http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/346
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THE EFFECTS OF GENDER AND PERCEPTION OF COMMUNITY
SAFETY ON HAPPINESS

Dissertation

Presented to the Faculty of
Antioch University Seattle
Seattle, WA

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements of the Degree
Doctor of Psychology

By
Jennifer Daffon
May 2017
THE EFFECTS OF GENDER AND PERCEPTION OF COMMUNITY
SAFETY ON HAPPINESS

This dissertation, by Jennifer Daffon, has
been approved by the committee members signed below
who recommend that it be accepted by the faculty of the
Antioch University Seattle at Seattle, WA in partial fulfillment
of requirements for the degree of

DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY

Dissertation Committee:

_______________________________
Suzanne Engelberg, Psy.D.
Chairperson

________________________________
Alex Suarez, Ph.D.

_________________________________
Laura Musikanski, J.D, M.B.A

__________________________________
Date
ii
© Copyright by Jennifer Daffon, 2017
All Rights Reserved
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1

ABSTRACT
THE EFFECTS OF GENDER AND PERCEPTION OF COMMUNITY
SAFETY ON HAPPINESS
Jennifer Daffon
Antioch University Seattle
Seattle, WA
Income-based indicators of happiness have been shown to be limited in their ability to predict
happiness. Alternative measures of happiness have been gaining prominence in happiness
research, and two predictors of happiness were investigated in the current study. The extent to
which happiness (measured by affect, life satisfaction, and psychological well-being) could be
predicted by gender and perception of community safety was investigated with 19,644
participant responses to The Happiness Alliance Survey. Multiple linear regression models
indicated that gender and community safety are significant predictors of affect, life satisfaction,
and psychological well-being. The effect of the predictor variables was similar for all three of
those happiness measures. B-values indicated that both predictor variables had the greatest
impact on psychological well-being and the least impact on life satisfaction. While all three
models were statistically significant, they did not similarly predict the satisfaction with affect,
life satisfaction, and psychological well-being scores. The results suggest that while gender and
perceptions of community safety should be considered as part of the whole picture that supports
a full life, there are likely other variables and life domains that have stronger influences on
happiness. The electronic version of this dissertation is at AURA: Antioch University Repository
and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu.
Keywords: happiness, positive psychology, community safety, gender
Dedications
A big thank you to my friends and family for all their patience, understanding,
and tolerance as I completed this process.

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Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank Laura Musikanski for her generous access to The Happiness Alliance
data and resources, without which this study would not have been possible. To my committee
members, Suzanne Engelberg (chair), Laura Musikanski (member), Alex Suarez (member),
thank you for your guidance and support throughout this journey.

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Table of Contents Page
Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... iv
Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... v
List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix
I: Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1
Purpose of This Study ........................................................................................................... 5
Theoretical Perspective ......................................................................................................... 6
Discussion of Terms Used in This Study .............................................................................. 6
Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 8
Chapter Organization ............................................................................................................ 9
II: Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 10
Happiness ............................................................................................................................ 10
The Constructs of Happiness ............................................................................................... 15
Gender Differences in Satisfaction With Life ..................................................................... 25
Gender Differences in Psychological Well-Being .............................................................. 29
Gender Differences in Affect .............................................................................................. 31
The Influence of Community Safety on Psychological Well-Being ................................... 33
The Influence of Community Safety on Satisfaction With life ........................................... 39
The Influence of Community Safety on Affect ................................................................... 45
Sustainable Seattle ............................................................................................................... 49
The Happiness Alliance ...................................................................................................... 52
III: Methods ................................................................................................................................. 56
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Design .................................................................................................................................. 56
Preanalysis Data Screening ................................................................................................. 56
Participants .......................................................................................................................... 58
Instrument ............................................................................................................................ 64
Data Collection .................................................................................................................... 68
Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 69
Data Analyses ...................................................................................................................... 70
Assumption of Multiple Linear Regression ........................................................................ 71
Reliability ............................................................................................................................ 72
Probability ........................................................................................................................... 72
IV: Results.................................................................................................................................... 73
Reliability ............................................................................................................................ 73
Preliminary Analyses .......................................................................................................... 74
V: Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 85
Study Summary ................................................................................................................... 85
Findings According to the Research Questions .................................................................. 85
Implications for Future Research ........................................................................................ 93
Limitations .......................................................................................................................... 94
Concluding Remarks ........................................................................................................... 94
References ..................................................................................................................................... 97
Appendix A: Happiness Data Privacy and Protection Agreement ............................................. 103
Appendix B: The Happiness Initiative Survey ........................................................................... 105

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List of Tables Page
1. Frequencies and Percentages for Null Responses Removed .....................................................59
2. Frequencies and Percentages for Outlier Responses Removed .................................................59
3. Frequencies and Percentages for Sample Demographics ..........................................................60
4. Mean and Standard Deviations for Continuous Variables .........................................................66
5. Survey Questions and Response Values ....................................................................................66
6. Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Statistics for the Two Composite Scores ...................................76
7. Results for Multiple Linear Regression of Gender and Community Safety on Satisfaction
With Life While Controlling for Household Income .....................................................................77

8. Results for Multiple Linear Regression of Gender and Community Safety on Affect While
Controlling for Household Income ................................................................................................79

9. Results for Multiple Linear Regression of Gender and Community Safety on Psychological
Well-Being While Controlling for Household Income ..................................................................81

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