Abstract
This research study aimed to evaluate the impact of transportation, specifically public transit, perceived built environment, and sociodemographic indicators on community quality of life (QoL) and individual’s overall life satisfaction (OLS) at the national level in the United States. The study used survey data collected at the national level in the United States in 2017 called the National Community Livability Survey (NCLS). The surveys were sent out to 25,000 adults across 50 U.S. states, with 994 completed responses received. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed to investigate the effects of three latent factors, i.e., perceived built environment, quality of transportation, and support for transit funding on community QoL and individual OLS. Along with latent factors, observed variables included in the analysis were perceived public transit importance, public transit need, ease of travel, and sociodemographic indicators. The perceived built environment and quality of transportation have a significant positive impact on community QoL but an insignificant impact on an individual’s OLS. Support for transit funding was found to have an insignificant effect on community QoL but a significant positive impact on individual OLS. Perceived public transit importance has a significant negative impact on community QoL, while public transit needs have a significant negative effect on an individual’s OLS. Ease of travel was the only variable with a significant positive impact on both community QoL and individual OLS. Sociodemographic indicators such as age, income, health, education, and race significantly affect an individual’s satisfaction with life. Improvement in the perceived built environment, quality of transportation, specifically public transit and active transportation, and providing easily accessible travel options may improve the QoL of people.