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Declining subjective well-being disparities concurrent with urbanization in China
Ranhao Sun1,2, Wenning Li1,3, Hongbin He1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Regional and Urban Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China.
National Science Review
|October 3, 2025
Summary
Urbanization impacts subjective well-being (SWB), reducing disparities. Environmental factors benefit lower SWB groups, while social factors affect higher SWB groups, highlighting the need for equitable urban planning.
Area of Science:
- Urban Studies
- Environmental Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Urbanization's complex effects on subjective well-being (SWB) are not fully understood.
- Existing research often overlooks the interplay between urban environments and resident well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the multidimensional impacts of urbanization on SWB in Chinese cities.
- To analyze the relationship between urban ecological and social factors and residents' SWB.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 2.92 million street view images for ecological assessment.
- Analyzed 5.3 million social media posts to derive SWB data.
- Developed an integrated ecological and social framework for 107 Chinese cities.
Main Results:
- Observed a decline in SWB disparities, with increased lower SWB and decreased higher SWB.
- Urban ecological factors positively correlated with SWB in lower well-being groups.
- Urban social/economic factors showed opposite trends, influencing SWB differently across groups.
Conclusions:
- Urban environments play a critical role in mitigating SWB disparities.
- Policies promoting environmental quality and social equity are essential for healthier cities.
- Understanding complex urbanization mechanisms is key to improving urban resident well-being.
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