Mechanism of change in residents’ subjective well-being in rural tourism communities: The turning point of happiness from the development stage to the consolidation stage

Abstract

Rural tourism development is an important force to promote the rural revitalization strategy and can realize people's aspiration for a better life and improve their quality of life. Subjective well-being is an important representation of residents' quality of life. This study aimed to explore the formation mechanism of the "turning point of happiness" phenomenon in tourism destinations, and thus provide a scientific guidance for tourism to boost the realization of rural revitalization strategy. Based on the social representations theory and arousal modulation theory, this study selected two villages in the development stage (Enhe Village, Ergun City, Inner Mongolia) and consolidation stage (Shiwei Village, Ergun City, Inner Mongolia) to apply a simultaneous cross-sectional design, and used the fsQCA method to investigate configuration paths of the impact of values and perceived value on residents' subjective well-being. Based on comparison, we found that: From the development stage to the consolidation stage, the subjective well- being of residents in the tourism community showed a downward trend. There were significant differences in the social, cultural, and functional value perceptions of residents in the two places, and there were also significant differences between individualism and horizontal collectivism. Each dimension of perceived value and the values were not the necessary condition for forming residents' high-level subjective well-being. In the development stage (Enhe), the perceived economic and cultural value and horizontal collectivism played a more prominent role in forming residents' high-level subjective well-being. In the consolidation stage (Shiwei), the role of perceived economic and social values and individualism in forming residents' high- level subjective well- being was more prominent. The results show that: 1) Residents' subjective well- being is influenced by both perceived value and values. It is not only stimulated by external tourism impact, but also regulated by residents' internal social representation system. 2) There were differences in the antecedents of residents' subjective well-being between the development stage and the consolidation stage. The driving factors of perceived value changed from "economy + traditional cultural life" to "economy + extroverted social relations", and the effects of horizontal collectivism values weakened in the large enterprises. 3) The "turning point of happiness" resulted from the weakened effect of "material + independent self" on residents' subjective well- being in the first stage, while the "non-material + interdependent self" has not been fully awakened and supported in the second stage. The research holds that creating cultural value resonance core, expanding value co- creation circle, enhancing tourism value function, and following modern value transformation patterns are effective ways to transcend the "turning point of happiness" in tourism village governance.