The aim of this study was to examine how social support measured as the subjective assessment of social support adequacy given by family, friends or significant others contributes to well-being (happiness, life satisfaction and domain satisfactions) across the life span. The study was conducted on a representative sample of the Croatian adult population (N = 1.000). For the purpose of analyses the sample was divided into three age groups: 18 to 40 years, 41 to 60 years, and 60+ years. The results were analyzed by means of multiple group structural equation modeling, which was performed separately for two measures of subjective well-being (SWB -a general measure of life satisfaction and happiness, PWI -domain satisfactions). The results showed that in all three age groups, among three sources of social support only the perceived social support from friends was significantly related to both subjective well-being measures. Participants who perceived adequate social support from friends expressed higher levels of subjective well-being.

In recent years, a number of studies have used Material Values Scale (MVS) to assess beliefs about importance to own material things. The aims of this study were to validate the MVS scale and to explore the relationships between materialistic values and well-being of Croatian citizens. The study was carried out on a representative sample of N = 1129 Croatian citizens. We used the short 9-item version of the MVS, life satisfaction rating, ratings of two positive (Positive affect) and four negative emotions (Negative affect) over the past month, and demographic variables (age, gender, income). The original dimensionality of the MVS was not confirmed; confirmatory factor analyses yielded two instead of three factors, Happiness and Centrality/Success. When controlled for income, gender and age, the Happiness dimension predicted Life satisfaction and both Positive and Negative affect, indicating that people who believed that the material goods in ones life leads to happiness reported to have lower life satisfaction, lower level of positive affect and higher level of negative affect over the past month. The Centrality/Success dimension was positively related to Positive affect, indicating that the belief that possessions play a central role in enjoyment leads to more frequent experiences of happiness and satisfaction over the past month.

Abstract:Background:

The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between the quality of tourist destinations and the subjective well-being of people living in the destination. Two data sets were used for the analysis: one related to the subjective well-being of Croatian citizens and the other related to the quality of tourist destinations in the country. Subjective well-being measures included: overall happiness, life satisfaction and satisfaction with the standard of living, health, achievements in life, relationships, safety, community connectedness, and future security, using a scale from 0 to 10. The final data set included 2,171 residents (aged 15–64) from 41 destinations with varying touristic quality. The destinations were grouped into three categories according to the touristic quality. Results of the ANCOVAs for quality of tourist destination as independent variable, subjective well-being of residents as dependent variables, and sociodemographics as covariates (age, gender, education, monthly income, level of urbanization) showed that the quality of tourist destination was related to residents' life satisfaction and happiness, as well as the satisfaction with personal life domains. The residents of destinations with the higher evaluated quality of tourist offer were more happy, more satisfied with their lives in general, with their material status, personal health, achievements in life, relationships with family and friends, feelings of physical safety, acceptance by the community, and future security than the residents from the destinations with medium and lower quality of tourist offer.

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.