Examining the American Mindset on Community Well-Being

Background

The United States is experiencing a crisis of well-being, characterized by increasing social isolation, hopelessness, and diseases of despair. Traditional well-being measures have focused on individuals, often overlooking community dimensions that are critical for understanding and addressing broader societal challenges. This study primarily aims to identify the factors most strongly associated with perceptions of community well-being.

Methods

We analyzed data from the nationally representative 2023 National Survey of Health Attitudes (NSHA; N = 5,620). Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between well-being measures and demographic characteristics and factors related to community conditions and connections.

Results

Perceptions of overall community well-being varied by income, age, education, and race/ethnicity. Individual well-being was not significantly associated with perceptions of community well-being. Among community conditions, access to outdoor spaces (OR = 2.50), healthy food (OR = 1.67), and health care (OR = 1.39), and safe drinking water (OR = 1.24) were significantly linked to higher community well-being ratings, while transportation infrastructure was negatively associated (OR = 0.77). For community connections, trust among members (OR = 2.08), mutual support (OR = 1.74), and collaboration for health (OR = 1.32) also showed significant associations. These results suggest the importance of both physical resources and social infrastructure for community well-being.

Conclusion

Multidimensional measures of both individual and community well-being can help local leaders and policymakers monitor well-being, set priorities, and design interventions.