Modelling of the factors affecting life satisfaction: The example of the Western Mediterranean

The public politics should be organized as to improve the life satisfaction of whole society. Therefore, determining the affecting factors of the life satisfaction will be beneficial and informative local and national decision makers while applying their local and national policies. The aim of this study is to determine the factors that affect the life satisfaction of Turkish households in the West Mediterranean Region which includes the cities, Antalya, Isparta and Burdur. In the study, the data from Life Satisfaction Research, conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institution (TUİK) in 2013 was used. Because TUIK has realized, the studies of life satisfaction started in 2003 for the first time within the city with 196203 data. This situation, has given opportunities comparison to the factors that affects the life satisfaction among cities. The methods used in analysis of study of this thesis are divided in two groups appropriate for its purpose. The main factors that affect the life satisfaction of the individuals in all of Turkey and the three provinces in the West Mediterranean Region, have been determined by using the analysis of binary logistic regression, ordinal logistic regression, and linear logistic regression. The second group analysis includes percentage distribution, t test and multiple correspondence analyses. These methods have been used in comparative analysis of the life satisfaction data in Antalya, Isparta, Burdur and within Turkey. According to the findings of the research, from household variables, household size, residential properties, ownership of the resident, income of the household and the level of income to fill the needs have affected the life satisfaction. It has been observed that the individual characteristic, such as age, marital status, being literate affected the satisfaction of the life. Health status, marriage, work, monthly income of the household and the satisfaction from the individual's social life, satisfaction with the public services and expectation of the future are other independent variations. The analyses of multiple correspondence analysis and t test results have showed the differences of life satisfaction among the three cities in West Mediterranean Region. The most striking finding of research is that the life satisfaction in Antalya is lower in almost in all areas than the satisfaction of individuals living within whole Turkey, Isparta and Burdur. It has been considered that the result of the research to provide both local and national decision makers to evaluate the public welfare alternatively and versatile point of view Keywords: Individual‟s Life Satisfaction, Logistic Regression, Multiple Correspondence Analysis, West Mediterranean Region.