Socio-Ecological Support and Physical Facilities Satisfaction: How They Link to Social Participation and Well-Being among Urban Residents in Malaysia

Abstract

In urban communities, the threat to residents’ social well-being arises from their social lives; however, there is little evidence demonstrating how urban communities are connected with each other to improve their well-being. Therefore, the current study aims to identify the satisfaction levels with socio-ecological support and facilities received by selected urban residents in Malaysia. The study also examines the link between residents’ satisfaction and their social participation, as well as social well-being. This survey used a set of closed-ended questionnaires. A simple random sampling technique was employed, where a total number of 2502 respondents from six zones participated in this study. The collected data were analysed descriptively and inferentially. The results revealed that the majority of respondents are satisfied with socio-ecological and physical green facilities. Better green infrastructure management practice is required because the results from this study identified scientific issues in green environments in urban recreational centres, waste management, regular health maintenance, landscaping, and building maintenance. Results showed significant differences in the residents’ social well-being based on their socio-economic backgrounds. Results also demonstrated that social participation has significantly contributed to the social well-being of urban residents. These findings indicate the importance of various socio-ecological programmes to ensure a positive impact on the social well-being of the urban community. Overall, this study suggests implementing a comprehensive support mechanism for socio-ecological support initiatives to improve the social well-being of urban residents.