This paper examines the relationships between a range of well-being factors and two commonly used subjective well-being measures—happiness and life satisfaction. Data from the second cycle of the Quality of Life (QoL) Survey in Abu Dhabi were used, which included 32,087 working adults. The well-being factors included in the analysis covered various aspects of life themes: income and jobs, work–home balance, health and physical activities, social and community services, living environment, and family/friends’ relationships and connections. Using standardized data, path analysis yielded an optimal path model that suggested the presence of a reciprocal relationship between happiness and life satisfaction. In addition, the final model suggested that four variables—job satisfaction, mental health, satisfaction with relationships with people, and the size of the social support network—had direct effects on happiness and life satisfaction. The model also identified three variables—satisfaction with family life, mental health, and job satisfaction—to have the most significant effect on happiness.

Understanding the interactions between happiness, self-perception of health, healthy eating behaviors, physical activities, and psychological feelings or symptoms of mental health provides necessary inputs for social policymaking. Using data from the second cycle of the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey, this study examined a path analysis of Abu Dhabi residents’ nature of assimilations between these variables. The results point to the significant association between happiness and self-rated health. In addition, the results portray significant direct paths to happiness from three mental feeling variables—"feeling calm and peaceful”, “having lots of energy”, and “feeling downhearted and depressed”. The variable of “often feeling rushed or pressed for time” shows a direct path to self-rated health only. Eating healthy food is significantly associated with both happiness and self-perception of health. In addition, “often doing physical activities” positively influences happiness. The present study enhances and refines policymakers’ understanding of the considered factors on happiness and self-rated health with further elaborations of the mediating roles of specific well-being determinants. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Purpose of the study: This study investigates the factors that influence the ability of households to maintain the subsistence standard of living reported by the heads of households in Abu Dhabi. Methodology: Drawing from 38,124 employed heads of households who participated in the Abu Dhabi Quality-of-Life (QoL) survey conducted in 2021, a hierarchical regression model was fitted, controlling for specific individual/household attributes. Main Findings: The significant model identified several well-being determinants of a household’s ability to make ends meet. These determinants touch on various aspects of life, the most significant ones being satisfaction with household income, ability to save from previous earning cycles, and work-family balance. Two control variables – the education level of the head of the household and whether the family has a financial plan or not – were also associated with the household’s ability to make ends meet. Research limitations/implications: It should be acknowledged that hierarchical regression helps better understand the ability of households to make ends meet; however, it does not precisely reveal the directions of associations between the dependent and independent variables. Therefore, a longitudinal study may be required to shed more light on the underlying mechanisms of relationships surrounding the ability to make ends meet. Originality of this study: The outcomes could serve as insider intelligence for producing social programs and services to enhance the lives of households in Abu Dhabi.

Background Sleep quality has significant impacts on many aspects of quality of life. Therefore, identifying the association of sleep quality with that quality of life domains could lead to deeper insights for social policymakers and professionals to enhance their understanding of the lives of Abu Dhabi working adults. This research focuses on sleep quality among working people in Abu Dhabi. The direct and indirect associations of sleep quality with various quality-of-life domains such as income and housing, physical and mental health, sport and activities, eating habits and obesity, work-life balance, online hours, and social connections are investigated and discussed. Methods Data were drawn from 36,515 full-time employees in both public, and private sectors, obtained from the third Abu Dhabi Quality of Life (QoL) survey aimed to cover all community members using online platforms. Informed by international research on sleep quality, preliminary investigation using correlation analysis and simple regression identified many well-being variables deemed necessary for inclusion in the path model. Path analysis was then performed. Results The final path model produced excellent fit measures. The significant variables directly associated with sleep quality included sleeping hours, social connection, satisfaction with income, satisfaction with residence, subjective physical and mental health, income satisfaction, satisfaction with the surrounding environment, frequency of eating healthy food, work-life balance, and online time. In addition, most variables recorded an indirect association to sleep quality through subjective health. Conclusions The importance of multidimensional linkages between many well-being factors influencing sleep quality and subjective health is underscored.

Background The study aimed to identify the associations of happiness and factors related to physical and mental health, leisure, and sports activities amongst older adults in Abu Dhabi. The sample comprised 1,004 participants in the third Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey administered in 2019-2020. Methods The analysis used path analysis to develop a model incorporating the specified variables. The path model highlighted all direct and indirect associations between the variables. We also used variance analysis to test the differences in gender, marital status, and education attainment with happiness. Results Results show that sleep quality is most associated with happiness and subjective health. In addition, sleeping hours did not show any association with subjective health; but were associated with happiness. The result also confirms that mental health is negatively associated with happiness and subjective health. How often an elderly gets involved in sport and activities for at least 30 minutes significantly affects subjective health and happiness. Conclusions Happiness of older adults is best understood when we look at both direct and indirect effects using a path model. Their happiness is significantly associated with their subjective health, mental health, participation in sport and activities and sleep quality, Implications of the study were highlighted, along with future research directions.