Research Proposal on The Perception of Life Satisfaction Among Young Adults

Background Information 

Throughout life, humans develop in stages characterized by various cognitive awareness. Such awareness naturally and instinctively direct people towards activities that are fulfilling or satisfying. A child, for example, is more comfortable around his or her parents and some other children. Children love to play, that makes them happy. As they grow, their cognitive perception changes. The cognitive theory by Piaget posits that cognitive capacity is characterized by changes in social relationships (Piaget, 1976). As children grow and develop cognitively, they begin to form complex and selective relationships with friends in various settings including schools, and even the community where they live. The process continues throughout adulthood and old age. 

The decisions about friendship, attending school, participating in sports, going to the gym, going to church, working, marrying, and other typical activities are determined by the anticipated satisfaction or fulfilment. Generally, the term “ satisfaction ” is described as the feeling of gratification, fulfillment, optimism, or contentment (Lazzi et al., 2016). However, different fields professions have various concepts and definitions of the term. In psychology, satisfaction is considered subjective and may occur in three levels; conscious, unconscious, and preconscious (Prasoon & Chaturvedi, 2016). Conscious satisfaction describes a situation where an individual is aware of when they have or lacking some needs and it could be associated with success or failure. Unconscious satisfaction is when an individual is not bothered by lacking somethings in life as they do not have a significant effect on that individual. Preconscious satisfaction occurs when an individual is already aware of what they require to be fulfilled in life, for instance, basic needs. In marketing, satisfaction is often described from the perspective of consumers, employees, and other stakeholders. Consumer satisfaction, for instance, is defined as fulfillment, contentment, or gratification that one experiences by consuming a given product or service (Hill & Brierley, 2017). Employee satisfaction is described as the contentment with various conditions of employment, includes salaries, wages, workload, and work environment, among others. In the paper, life satisfaction is examined which is in line with the psychological perspective of satisfaction. 

Prasoon and Chaturvedi (2017) give various accounts of life satisfaction. On a detailed account, the author describes life satisfaction as a comprehensive and detailed evaluation of the human experience outcomes. Ideally, it involves the assessment of an individual’s attitude and feelings about life at a certain point in time; such assessment is both negative and positive. Further, Prasoon and Chaturvedi (2017) argue that satisfaction is often based on three fundamental concepts: family, work, and personal. In summary, the authors describe satisfaction as the extent to which life is examined positively in general, which involves contentment with the past, present, and future. Part of the overall examination of life quality includes the mental and physical health of an individual. 

Abraham Maslow ’s definition of motivation can be used to corroborate the proposition of life satisfaction, as argued by Prasoon and Chaturvedi (2017). Maslow (1989) argues that people are generally concerned with fulfilling five significant life constructs which are: physical, security, self-actualization, psychological, and social needs. The physical needs include the desire to have the basics for life survival, which include food, water, air, shelter, and clothes. The security needs appeal to the individual requirements for protection from potential harm and deprivation of the physical needs. Financial security is the most crucial in this respect, according to Maslow (1989). When people are financially secured, they can afford most of the physical needs such as food, clothes, and shelter which are fundamental to survival and consequently satisfaction. Social requirements include the desire to belong and to feel loved. Which explains why people always form relationships at home, in the neighborhood, schools, and workplaces, whom they can interact with when they are not at home. Family members, for example, have friends beyond the family, there are friends in the neighborhood, schools, and workplaces. Self-actualization needs are the desires to achieve personal goals. Such goals include better outcomes in education, professions and other life undertakings that are considered critical by the individual. 

Maslow’s theory was developed to explain what motivates people to do what they do in their respective stages of cognitive development. It can be argued that children respond more to social needs; the parents provide security and physical need; and they lack the cognitive capacity to have self-actualization and psychological needs. As one progresses with age, the needs increase. As people grown into adolescent stage for example, their needs increases and becomes even more complex. Some of the immediate needs may not be tenable. For example, an underage child cannot get a driving license because of the age limitation. 

The two main theories that are commonly used to explain satisfaction in life are the top-down and down-top approach. As Diener et al. (2013) write, the top-bottom approach of satisfaction holds that the general stability and perception of satisfaction determines the specific domain contentment. The three domains of life satisfaction include family, personality, and work. The theory posits that only when an individual is satisfied in general, can he or she be considered satisfied with respect to one or more of the domains. On the other hand, the bottom-top approach holds that fulfilment of the three constructs determines the overall life satisfaction. 

Understanding the concept of satisfaction with life among young people is crucial since it helps them in self-evaluation and personal development. If someone believes that life satisfaction is determined based on the bottom-top approach, he or she is likely to work on the various domains to achieve fulfillment in life. The present study seeks to assess the perception of life contentment among young adults based on the bottom-top approach. 

Research Question 

The main research question is to find out how young adults perceive life in terms of what satisfy them. Using the bottom-top approach, the study seeks to determine which among the three domains of the theory of satisfaction best suits the young people’s perception of satisfaction 

Objectives of the Study 

The overall objective is to determine the perception of young adults about life satisfaction. 

Specific Objectives 

To establish whether the family domain of contentment is different from work and personality domains 

To establish whether the personality domain of life fulfilment differs significantly from family and work. 

To determine whether the work domain of satisfaction is different statistically from personality and family. 

Research Hypotheses 

1H a Family domain of life satisfaction differs significantly from work and personality domains.

1H 0 Family domain does not statistically differ from the work and personality domains.

2H a Personality domain significantly differs from family and work domains.

2H 0 Personality domain does not significantly differ from family and work domains.

3H a Work domain significantly differs from the personality and family domains.

3H 0 Work domain does not statistical differ from the personality and family domains.

Literature Review 

Introduction 

The section examines the various studies and theories that have been conducted in relation to the present study. The essence of the literature review is to reveal the existing knowledge in the selected field of study to determine a current gap. The present research can be modeled towards filling the gap. The section provides empirical studies related to the perception of life satisfaction and the bottom-up theory. 

Review of Empirical Studies 

Stanojević et al. (2016) Examined the perception of life among emerging adults in Serbia. The study was informed by the fact that contemporary sociological studies have associated personal (intimate) and family domains as the major determinants of life satisfaction. The research was conducted among a total of 1627 respondents. The respondents were of the ages between 19-35 years. Correlation analysis was used to establish the relationships with the variables. The results indicated that family, work, and personal domains were statistically associated. However, among the three domains the research found that family and personal domains had a stronger relationship. The study found the education, employment, housing, financial autonomy, parenthood, and partnership to be among the most important determinants of life contentment . 

SteCA et al. (2009) explored satisfaction in line with young people in two countries with cultures that are different. The study proposed that the interaction between self-efficacy and social interactions had a significant determinant of life fulfillment. The first study was conducted among 462 respondents in Italy. The other 307 were sampled from Bolivia. All the participants were of the ages between 18-24. The results confirmed that, indeed, life satisfaction is determined by self-efficacy, and social relationships are significant determinants. 

Hong et al. (2019) studied the perception of life quality across different age groups, ranging from young adults, middle-aged, and older people. Similar to the study by SteCA et al. (2009); Hong et al. (2019) also obtained data from respondents in two countries with potentially different cultures. A sample of 4000 respondents was selected in the United States and another 900 from Japan. The findings indicated that young adults were the most optimistic regarding satisfaction when compared to the past and the future. The middle-age group demonstrated a modest perception of satisfaction. The perception further declined among the older population. In relevance to the present study, it is expected that young adults will have a better life view since the targeted respondents are young adults. 

Schafer et al. (2013) examined the determinants of satisfaction based on gender differences. Data was collected from the United States Midlife Development Surveys. The variables included in the study are gender, marriage or partnership, financial satisfaction, relationship with children, health, and work. At least, every domain of life satisfaction was represented. The relationship among the variables was determined using multiple regression analysis. The study found that men perceived life satisfaction in terms of financial autonomy and partnership. Women, on the other hand, were found to perceive life satisfaction from a much broader perspective. Nevertheless, the partnership was found to be the most crucial determinant of contentment (Khan & Khan, 2017). Further, the study discovered that women’s perception of life fulfilment evolved based on the following aspects: attachment or relationship with children, the situation at work, sexuality, and how they contribute to the welfare of others as well as financial conditions. 

Bannik et al. (2016) researched to confirm the proposition of the bottom-top theory of subjective life satisfaction. To achieve good results, the study examined perceived self-esteem and life fulfillment among adolescents in London. The results indicated that participants who came from families with low-income levels had significantly reduced scores in life contentment and self-esteem. The reverse was true for respondents from families with more income. The study concluded that the life domain impacts individuals’ satisfaction right from childhood throughout their lives. As such, the bottom-up theory was confirmed as opposed to the top-bottom approach. 

Khan and Khan (2017) explored the connection between grit, happiness, and life satisfaction among a sample of 100 professionals from different fields. Grit is a significant aspect of the self-actualization of Maslow's theory. In the context of bottom-top theory, it relates to the work domain. The results found that respondents with high grit were happier and more satisfied based on different professions. Doctors, engineers, and lawyers, for example, were more satisfied than teachers. Again, the study confirms the proposition of the bottom-up theory of subjective life satisfaction. Grit is the drive for people committing to achieve their academic and professional goals, which starts from the early stages of life. 

Summary and Knowledge Gap 

The review of empirical study indicates that the bottom-top theory of subjective life satisfaction explains better individual’s perception of life satisfaction than the top-bottom theory. Among the three domains of life satisfaction, personal and work domains seem to be more effective in explaining individual contentment. However, specific items of these domains are crucial ( Schafer et al., 2013) . In terms of personal domain, relationship with family and children seem to be important. Regarding the work domain, financial autonomy and professional development are crucial. Further, the review indicates that gender differs regarding to the perception of satisfaction. Additionally, young adults are likely to have higher view of life fulfilment compared to the past. 

Methodology 

Introduction 

The section presents the details and procedures of research. It includes the proposed study design, the targeted sample, the data collection procedure, analysis, and the relevant ethical considerations. 

Research Design 

A quantitative research design will be used. Quantitative research uses the numerical value to determine variables. It is based on the positivist epistemology (Creswell & Creswell, 2017). The positivist philosophy holds that the phenomena occurs independently of the social actors. The researcher is considered as the social worker who is often in concerned by the innovative idea. Because of the independent relationship, the philosophy posits that only specific attributes of the research phenomenon that can be logically explained should be used to understand the current phenomenon under the researcher 

Specifically, the study will use a correlational study design, which is one of the research strategies under the quantitative research approach (Bell et al., 2018). A correlational study essentially examines the relationship between study variables. In this case, the main variables include the three domains – social, work, and personal; and the overall perception of life contentment. The three fields are the exploratory variables, and life satisfaction is the explained variable. 

Sample Size and Sampling Procedure 

The proposed sample size to be used is a minimum of 300 respondents. A probabilistic random sampling design will be used. A random sampling procedure ensures that the members of a given study population has an equal chance of being included or excluded in the study (Russell, 2013). Random sampling is important in ensuring that bias is eliminated in the study. Sampling may originate from bias if a population with specific characteristics is purposely overrepresented in the study. It interferes with the research quality. 

Data Collection and Collection Instrument 

A questionnaire will be used to collect data for the study. The questionnaire will be structured to include information such as demographic and the three main domains. The domains will be measured using specific items. The questionnaire is developed based on the underlying studies that exist on life satisfaction. For example, the dependent variable will be developed using the life satisfaction scale. The domains and related items will be measured in scale (1-7) where 1 represents “ strongly disagree” and 7 represents “ strongly agree”. The questionnaires will be self-administered to respondents who will be accessed from the university and its environment. The questionnaire was offered to a sample of respondents to test the scale reliability. The overall reliability was established at ( α = 0.72). 

Table 1: Alpha Cronbach test 

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha	Number of Items
.722	18

Alpha Cronbach test from Bell, E., Bryman, A., & Harley, B. (2018). Business research methods. Oxford university press. 

Pre-test of the questionnaire did not reveal any problem as a result, it was not changed. The testing was one with five to eight people. The findings indicated that the questions were clear and required approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. An alpha reliability is best understood by examining the figure in percentage form, which is 72.2%. The questionnaires will be posted online. The respondents will be referred to the websites where they will be expected to fill. The filled questionnaires will be downloaded by the respondent for further analysis. 

Data Analysis 

Statistical Package for Social Sciences will be applied in data analysis (SPSS). The data will mainly be descriptive and inferential. Inferential statistics will be applied to determine the relationship among the variables. Univariate multiple linear regression method will be used to analyze the data. The dependent variable in this case is the perception of life satisfaction by the young adults. The independent variables are the three main domains of life satisfaction: social, work, and personal factors. The multiple linear regression model will be as show below 

y = b 0 + b 1 x 1 + b 2 x 2 + b 3 x 3 

where y is the dependent variable, b 0 is the y-intercept, b 1 ….b 3 represents the regression coefficients that corresponds to the respective independent variables x 1 ………x 3 . The main descriptive statistics will include the mean and standard deviation. 

Ethical Consideration 

The main ethical consideration is the confidentiality of the data provided by respondents. The respondents will be assured of the privacy of the information. The real names or information that identifies respondents will not be used while collecting the data. Also, the data will be stored in electronic format in secured servers. Only specific people will be allowed to access the respondents’ data and information to maintain privacy and confidentiality. 

References 

Bannink, R., Pearce, A., & Hope, S. (2016). Family income and young adolescents’ perceived social position: associations with self-esteem and life satisfaction in the UK Millennium Cohort Study.  Archives of disease in childhood ,  101 (10), 917-921. 

Bell, E., Bryman, A., & Harley, B. (2018).  Business research methods . Oxford university press. 

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017).    Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches . Sage publication. 

Diener, E., Inglehart, R., & Tay, L. (2013). Theory and validity of life satisfaction scales.  Social Indicators Research ,  112 (3), 497-527. 

Hill, N., & Brierley, J. (2017).  How to measure customer satisfaction . Routledge. 

Hong, J. H., Charles, S. T., Lee, S., & Lachman, M. E. (2019). Perceived changes in life satisfaction from the past, present and to the future: A comparison of US and Japan.  Psychology and aging . 

Iazzi, A., Vrontis, D., Trio, O., & Melanthiou, Y. (2016). Consumer preference, satisfaction, and intentional behavior: Investigating consumer attitudes for branded or unbranded products.  Journal of Transnational Management ,  21 (2), 84-98. 

Maslow, A. H. (1989). A theory of human motivation.  Readings in managerial psychology ,  20 . 

Piaget, J. (1976). Piaget’s theory. In  Piaget and his school  (pp. 11-23). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. 

Prasoon, R., & Chaturvedi, K. R. (2016). Life satisfaction: a literature review.  The Researcher-International Journal of Management Humanities and Social Sciences ,  1 (2), 25-32. 

Russell, R. M. (2013). Research methods.  Final Report on the 2013 Season of The Mayapá n Taboo Cenote Project , 23. 

Schafer, M. H., Mustillo, S. A., & Ferraro, K. F. (2013). Age and the tenses of life satisfaction.  Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences ,  68 (4), 571-579. 

Stanojević, D., Tomanović, S., & Ljubičić, M. (2016). Elements of life satisfaction among young adults in Serbia.  Journal of Youth Studies ,  19 (7), 973-989. 

SteCA, P., Caprara, G. V., Tramontano, C., Vecchio, G. M., & Roth, E. (2009). Young adults' life satisfaction: The role of self-regulatory efficacy beliefs in managing affects and relationships across time and across cultures.  Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology ,  28 (7), 824-861. 

APPENDIX 

Appendix A: Budget 

Budget 

item	quantity	price	cost
questionnaires	500	0.35	175
pencils	500	0.13	65
document holder	10	0.45	4.5
transport and lunch for enumerators			1500
IBM Statistics software subscription	6	99	594
data analysis	3	300	900
publication	2	400	800
seminar presentation	1	300	300
		Total	4338.5

Appendix B: Schedule 

Appendix C : Questionnaire 

Questionnaire 

The Perception of Life Satisfaction Among Young Adults 

Introduction 

Dear Respondent 

You are kindly requested to participate in filling the questionnaire below. The current study is undertaken as part of completion of the necessities for the aware of relevant degree. The researcher is asking for your assistance towards the academic pursuit. Because the research is academic, there is no reward of any kind to the participant. However, the outcome of the study goes a long way in adding knowledge to the field of sociology. By filling and returning the questionnaires, it is assumed that you have read and accepted the terms and conditions . Your participation is highly appreciated. 

Sincerely 

(name) 

SECTION A: Demographic Information 

What is your gender? 

Male ( ) female ( ) other ( ) 

What is the age of the respondent? _______ 

SECTION B: Life Satisfaction Scale 

Please respond to the five statements below using a scale of 1-7 with every value representing the following responses 

7-strongly agree 

6-agree 

5-slightly agree 

4-neither agree nor disagree 

3-slightly agree 

2-disagree 

1-strongly disagree 

I believe my life is as close to ideal. 

I think that my life is satisfactory. 

I would describe my life as excellent 

Most of the important things I consider in my life that I have 

If I were to live again, I would not change anything. 

Social Domain 

My relationship with friends is very healthy. 

I would love to be with my current friends all over again. 

I really do not trust some of my friends. 

My friends are always going to be there for me. 

I look forward to meeting new friends. 

Personal (Intimate Domain) 

I would not ask for a better intimate partner than the one I have right now. 

My wife and children are my whole life; I do not know how I would live without them. 

I am always eager to spend time with my kids whenever I am free. 

I am always eager to spend time with my wife. 

I love spending time with my parents, siblings and relatives. 

Work Domain 

My salary at work is quite fulfilling I would not ask for more. 

I can comfortable afford most of the things I wanted 

I have reached the far I ever wanted in terms of my career and professional goals. 

I love my work; the workload is reasonable and the pay is good. 

My work environment is very nice; I have a good rapport with my colleagues