THE MEDIATING ROLE OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING BETWEEN HOUSING CONDITIONS AND JOB PERFORMANCE AMONG URBAN RENTERS IN CHINA
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Abstract
Purpose: This study addresses a significant yet underexplored issue in China’s urbanization context: how housing conditions relate to job performance among urban rental residents, who comprise approximately 25% of the urban population and often experience inferior living conditions compared with homeowners. Despite extensive research on housing and well-being, limited evidence exists on work-related outcomes among renters, the psychological mechanisms linking housing to job performance, and the measurement tools tailored to rental housing conditions. By focusing on the mediating role of Subjective Well-Being (SWB), this study aims to clarify the psychosocial pathway through which housing may influence work outcomes.
Study Design/Methodology/Approach: A cross-sectional survey of 400 employed urban renters across mainland China was conducted using multi-stage stratified sampling. Housing conditions were assessed with a newly developed multidimensional scale (affordability, quality, neighborhood, accessibility). SWB was measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Chinese revised PANAS, and job performance was assessed with adapted the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire subscales. Structural Equation Modeling with bootstrapping was employed for analysis.
Findings: Housing conditions showed a strong positive association with SWB (β = .809, p < .001), and SWB significantly predicted job performance (β = .499, p = .004). No significant direct path from housing conditions to job performance was found. Mediation analysis revealed that, in the tested model, SWB fully mediated this relationship (indirect β = .415, p = .005), accounting for the total effect of housing on performance. The model explained 65.5% of the variance in SWB and 34.2% in job performance.
Originality/Value: This study offers three contributions. Theoretically, it validates SWB as a full statistical mediator in the housing–job performance nexus among Chinese renters. Methodologically, it develops a context-sensitive multidimensional housing conditions scale for China’s rental context. Empirically, it provides the first evidence of the psychological pathway linking housing to work outcomes in China’s large rental population. Findings suggest that improving rental housing quality may relate to enhanced well-being and self-reported job performance, although broader economic implications require further research.
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