The Influence of the Citizen Participation and Social Capital on the Satisfaction of Community Building Projects
- A Study on the Creating a Village in Pusan -


Graduate School of Education
Pukyong National University


Abstract

This study was intended to investigate the effects of residents participation and social capital of community development projects on life satisfaction. Research subjects consisted of 314 male and female adults over 30 years of age who are participating in community development project in Busan Metropolitan City. Survey was conducted from Feb 3 to Mar 15, 2018, and the survey tool consisted of a measure of participation in community development(Kim Eun-Ah, 2015), measure of social capital(Yoon Jong-Chan, 2017), and measure of life satisfaction(Kwon Han-Kyung, 2011). Frequency analysis, independent verification t-test, One-way analysis of variance(ANOVA), correlation analysis, and regression analysis were conducted on the collected data using SPSS 20.0 Program.
A summary of the results of this study is as follows. First, according to the result of verifying the difference in participation in community development, social capital, and life satisfaction showed a significant difference according to sociodemographic variables, community development, social capital, and life satisfaction showed significant difference by period of activity and the level of monthly income, community development by gender and age, life satisfaction by academic background, and social capital by residence period. Secondly, according to the result of investigating a correlation between participation in community development, social capital, and life satisfaction, participation in community development showed positive relationship with social capital and life satisfaction, and social capital and life satisfaction showed positive relationship as well. Thirdly, according to the result of investigating the effects of community development and social capital on life satisfaction, it was identified that provision of information, trust, social participation, and network make a significant effect on overall life satisfaction, and for influence on the subfactors, provision of information, trust, and social participation made effect on adaptation to living environment, trust and social participation made effect on family relationship, inhabitants initiative participation, cooperative participation, trust, and social participation made effect on leisure and preparation for old age, provision of information, trust, and network made effect on interpersonal relationship, and provision of information, trust, social participation, and network made a significant effect on job performance.
Limitations of this study and suggestions for further research were discussed as well based on the research results. Also, results of this study are considered to have a significance as a basic data that can increase life satisfaction by residents participation in community building project and induces real residents participation. Also, as it was identified that forming social capital in addition to residents participation is an important factor for life satisfaction of residents, a discussion on ways for residents who participated in community development project to form a network with each other would have to be conducted actively.


Keywords: participation in community development, social capital, life satisfaction