MONEY OR ITS MEANING? THE INFLUENCE OF INCOME AND MONEY ATTITUDE ON LIFE SATISFACTION

Öz

The concept of "life satisfaction," which has been the subject of numerous studies, refers to individuals’ subjective assessment of their quality of life. Research shows that higher life satisfaction is linked to greater success, better health, and longer life. Consequently, numerous studies across various disciplines have focused on the factors that influence life satisfaction, revealing a wide range of factors. However, the relationship between money and life satisfaction is quite complex. In modern societies, consumer culture, economic uncertainty, and social comparisons complicate the relationship between money and life satisfaction. The research objective is to examine whether life satisfaction is more strongly influenced by income level or attitudes toward money. Thus, we aimed to investigate the relative effects of monthly income and dimensions of attitudes toward money on life satisfaction, controlling for age, gender, education level, and marital status. For this aim, data from 208 participants, obtained via convenience and snowball sampling, were collected online and analyzed with structural equation modeling. The results showed that life satisfaction is influenced not by income level, but rather by two specific dimensions of attitudes toward money. Accordingly, life satisfaction is negatively affected by concerns stemming from perceived financial inadequacy and positively influenced by the dimension of generosity. Additional exploratory analyses revealed that concerns about money are not related to the amount of income earned. Instead, these concerns are influenced by various money attitudes, such as viewing money as a symbol of success, having an obsession with money, and feeling insecure about spending it.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Attitude Towards Money
• Income Level
• Life Satisfaction

PARA MI, PARAYA YÜKLENEN ANLAM MI? GELİRİN VE PARAYA YÖNELİK TUTUMLARIN HAYAT MEMNUNİYETİNE ETKİLERİ

Öz

Çok sayıda araştırmaya konu olan “hayattan memnuniyet” kavramı kişinin hayat kalitesine dair subjektif bir değerlendirmeyi temsil etmektedir. Hayattan memnuniyeti yüksek bireylerin işlerinde, ilişkilerinde daha başarılı, fiziksel ve zihinsel olarak daha sağlıklı oldukları ve daha uzun bir ömür sürdüklerine dair bulgular dikkat çekmektedir. Bu sebeple farklı disiplinlerde sayısız araştırma hayattan memnuniyeti etkileyen faktörler üzerine odaklanmış ve çok sayıda faktör ortaya çıkarmıştır. Paranın hayattan memnuniyetle ilişkine dair bulgular ise karmaşıktır. Modern toplumlarda tüketim kültürü, ekonomik belirsizlikler ve sosyal karşılaştırmalar, bireylerin para ile ilişkilerini ve dolayısıyla para-hayat memnuniyeti bağını karmaşıklaştırmıştır. Bu araştırmanın amacı; hayattan memnuniyetin gelir düzeyinden mi yoksa paraya yönelik tutumlardan mı daha fazla etkilendiğini incelemektir. Bu kapsamda yaş, cinsiyet, eğitim seviyesi ve medeni halin kontrol edildiği bir modelde aylık gelir miktarı ve paraya yönelik tutum boyutlarının görece etkilerinin ortaya çıkarılması hedeflenmiştir. Bu amaçla, kolayda ve kartopu örnekleme ile seçilen 208 katılımcıdan çevrim içi anket yoluyla veri toplanmış, yapısal eşitlik modellemesiyle analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonuçları hayattan memnuniyetin gelir seviyesinden değil, paraya yönelik tutumun iki boyutundan etkilendiğini göstermiştir. Sonuçlara göre hayattan memnuniyet finansal yetersizlik algısı kaynaklı kaygılardan negatif etkilenirken cömertlik boyutundan pozitif olarak etkilenmektedir. Yapılan keşif amaçlı ileri analizlerde ise yetersizlik algısı kaynaklı kaygıların kazılan gelir miktarı ile ilişkili olmadığı, para ile başarıyı özdeşleştirme, paraya aşırı düşkünlük ve para harcamada güvensizlik gibi para tutumu boyutları ile ilişkili bulunmuştur.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Paraya yönelik tutum
• Gelir seviyesi
• Hayattan memnuniyet

Kaynakça

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