Childhood antecedents of adult place satisfaction in 22 countries

Abstract

We examine how childhood predictors—including retrospectively reported familial relationships, socioeconomic status, health, and religious activities—potentially influence satisfaction with the area or city where one lives (i.e., place satisfaction) in adulthood. Using data from the Global Flourishing Study (N = 202,898) across 22 countries, we conduct a random effects meta-analysis to understand the probable long-term impact of early-life experiences on adult place satisfaction. Our findings reveal that strong relationships with parents in childhood were associated with a slight increase in the likelihood of place satisfaction, while parental divorce and being raised by a single, never-married parent slightly decreased satisfaction. Financial stability in childhood is associated with a modest increase in the likelihood of adult place satisfaction, whereas financial hardship slightly lowers it. Adverse childhood experiences (e.g., physical or sexual abuse, feeling like an outsider) are associated with a decreased likelihood of adult place satisfaction, potentially suggesting lasting effects of early social disruptions. Health during childhood also plays a role—those who rated their childhood health as excellent are more likely to report higher satisfaction with their environment later in life. Contrary to some expectations, regular religious service attendance in childhood is associated with a small but positive increase in place satisfaction. These associations varied substantially across countries, reflecting both global trends and country-specific nuances. For example, a strong maternal relationship boosted satisfaction by 10% in Germany and Japan but was negligible in Sweden. A good paternal relationship increased satisfaction in Brazil and Japan but slightly decreased it in Australia. Growing up in financial comfort generally increased the likelihood of place satisfaction, with the strongest effect observed in Nigeria (9% increase), whereas in South Africa, it was associated with a slight 2% decrease. Financial difficulty reduced the likelihood of place satisfaction by 18% in Hong Kong and 15% in South Africa, while in Australia, it showed a negligible 1% increase. Parental marital status showed mixed results—divorce generally reduced satisfaction but increased it in Japan by 8%. Losing a parent increased the likelihood of place satisfaction in Japan and Argentina but had little effect elsewhere. Childhood adversity consistently lowered satisfaction, with the strongest effect for abuse in Hong Kong (19%) and feeling like an outsider in the U.S. (13%). Religious attendance mostly increased satisfaction (e.g., Poland 10%) but had the opposite effect in South Africa (10%). Sensitivity analyses using E-values indicated some robustness to potential unmeasured confounding, lending additional credibility to the observed relationships. These findings highlight the enduring influence of childhood experiences on how people perceive their living environments in adulthood, with notable cross-national variations that suggest the need for a context-sensitive approach to studying the conditions of place satisfaction.