Components of Neighborhood Satisfaction

Abstract

Recent attention to the increased numbers of poor single-parent families has raised questions about the neighborhood environments in which they and their children are living. This article reports the findings of an investigation on the neighborhood satisfaction among two groups of low-income, single-parent women currently participating in the Section 8 rental subsidy program, those living in urban and those living in suburban neighborhoods. The results suggest that suburban respondents are significantly more satisfied with their neighborhoods than their urban counterparts. Important similarities and differences in the components of satisfaction among the two groups of respondents are indicated. While neighborhood safety for themselves and their children is critical to the neighborhood satisfaction of both groups, housing and location characteristics and residential attachment are more important to suburban than urban respondents. Background characteristics and perceived housing opportunities and anticipated discrimination play a role in the neighborhood satisfaction of urban respondents.