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Running head: DEMOGRAPHICS AND LIFE SATISFACTION

Examining the Effects of Different Demographics on Life Satisfaction Pertaining to COVID-19

Sara Bond

San Diego State University

Devynne Diaz
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Abstract

Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19 it is important to think about the factors contributing to

stress and overall life satisfaction among different genders. A previous study researched how

stress and emotional intelligence affected life satisfaction in college students. The study

concluded that there was a significant negative correlation between stress and life satisfaction in

college students. Another previous study looked at personal characteristics, such as gender, to

see how it may influence relationship formation, stress and life satisfaction. The study concluded

gender differences in overall life satisfaction and that women reported higher life satisfaction

than men. The present study conducted a survey that explored the relationship between gender

and stress pertaining to COVID-19 and how that influenced overall life satisfaction. There were

a total number of 333 participants for the study aging from 18-76 years old with 55 men and 278

women. Materials used to gather information used four demographic questions, one opinion

question and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The data was collected for three weeks through a

survey that was created on Qualtrics and was distributed via an anonymous link. The study

concluded that there was no significant correlation between life satisfaction and gender. It was

also concluded that there was no significant correlation found between COVID-19 stress and life

satisfaction. The results of the study did not support the hypotheses and was not consistent with

previous literature. Future research should look at all potential controlling factors, such as

creating an even sample size of males to females and the timing of the experiment to record more

accurate results.
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Examining the Effects of Different Demographics on Life Satisfaction Pertaining COVID-19

With the current global outbreak of COVID-19 it is important to think about the factors

contributing to stress and overall life satisfaction. A previous study conducted a correlational

research design to see how stress and emotional intelligence affected life satisfaction in college

students (Holinka, 2015). The study consisted of 81 participants (20 males and 61 females) those

of which participated in surveys measuring factors of overall life satisfaction (i.e. Stress and

emotional intelligence). Stress was measured through the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale,

emotional intelligence was measured by the Emotional Quotient Inventory, and life satisfaction

was measured through the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The study found a significant negative

correlation between stress and life satisfaction; however, found no correlation between life

satisfaction and emotional intelligence. There was also no support or significance between stress

and emotional intelligence in predicted life satisfaction. The study concluded that there was a

significant negative correlation between stress and life satisfaction in college students, meaning

that when students’ stress levels increased, their life satisfaction decreased (Holinka, 2015).

Another previous study conducted an observational cross-sectional and looked at

personal characteristics, such as gender, to see how it may influence relationship formation,

stress and life satisfaction (Coccia & Darling, 2016). The study’s participants were 534 students

who were enrolled in a family studies course at Southeastern University and consisted of mainly

females (88.7%). The main variables of interest were stress, dating, and life satisfaction. The

study also focused on social interactions and personal behaviors. Stress was measured by the

Perceived stress scale which used a 10 item Likert-type scale. The study found that social

interactions such as phone use, text messaging and social media, were all positively correlated to

one another. The study also found that dating was negatively correlated with only social
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networking and that stress was positively correlated with texting, phone use and studying. The

study concluded gender differences in overall life satisfaction and that women reported higher

life satisfaction than men as well as greater time studying than men (Coccia & Darling, 2016).

The present study conducted a survey that was given to college students and students in a

Psychology 301 course to explore the relationship between gender and stress pertaining to

COVID-19 and how that influenced their overall life satisfaction. The study analyzed the data

that was recorded from the participants to further analyze gender differences in relation to stress

and overall life satisfaction. It was hypothesized that women would report significantly higher

levels of life satisfaction than men. It was also hypothesized that stress due to COVID-19/the

coronavirus will have a negative correlation with life satisfaction; that is, the more one agreed

with the statement “I am experiencing stress because of COVID-19/the coronavirus,” the lower

their life satisfaction. The importance of this study lied in its ability to increase the knowledge

and data necessary to understand different stressors within gender and how difference in

stressors may influence overall life satisfaction.

Method

Participants

There were a total number of 333 participants for the study (N = 333). The participants’

ages ranged from 18-76 years old (M = 26.73, SD = 9.44). There were 55 (16.5%) men and 278

(83.5%) women. There were 90 (27%) participants that were employed full-time (30

hours+/week), 129 (38.7%) participants that were part-time employed (less than 30 hours/week),

and 113 (33.9%) participants that were unemployed. There were 112 (33.6%) participants that

were single, 24 (7.2%) that were dating non-exclusively, 115 (34.5%) participants that were in an
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exclusive relationship, 12 (3.6%) participants that were engaged, 62 (18.6%) participants that

were married and 8 (2.4%) participants that described their relationship status as ‘other.’

Materials

Materials used to gather information used four demographic questions, one opinion

question and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. An example of a demographic question was:

“Please state your age (in years?)” and the response was a text entry. An example of an opinion

question was: “I am experiencing stress because of COVID-19/the coronavirus” and the response

was rated on a one – five Likert scale with one being “Strongly disagree” and five being

“Strongly agree.” The Satisfaction with Life Scale included five questions (Diener, 1985). The

Satisfaction with Life Scale was measured by a 1-7 Likert scale that ranged from 1=strongly

disagree to 7=strongly agree. An example of a question from the Satisfaction with Life scale

was: “I am satisfied with my life.” The Satisfaction with Life Scale was highly reliable ( = .85).

Procedure

Procedures used to collect data was through a survey that was created on Qualtrics. The

survey was distributed with an anonymous link via Blackboard, email, and other social media.

The survey’s data collection went on for three weeks.

Results

It was hypothesized that women would report significantly higher levels of life

satisfaction than men. In the present study there was no significant correlation between life

satisfaction and gender. Women did not report more life satisfaction than men, t(329) = .45, p = .

652. The results did not support the hypothesis. It was also hypothesized that stress due to

COVID-19/the coronavirus will have a negative correlation with life satisfaction; that is, the

more one agreed with the statement “I am experiencing stress because of COVID-19/the
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coronavirus,” the lower their life satisfaction. There was no significant correlation found between

COVID-19/coronavirus stress and life satisfaction, r = .10, p = .059. The results of the study did

not support the hypothesis.

Discussion

It was hypothesized that women would report significantly higher levels of life

satisfaction than men. This hypothesis was not supported. In the current sample, women and men

had roughly equivalent levels of life satisfaction. The study was not consistent with previous

literature. Previous literature found that in a college sample, women had higher levels of

satisfaction with life than men (Coccia & Darling, 2016). Because of this previous research, it

was hypothesized to support this gender difference; however, the current sample did not support

these findings. A potential reason for the inconsistency of results could be due to each gender

being in isolation due to COVID-19. Because of the isolation due to the public health crisis,

women and men could both have equivalent levels of life satisfaction. It was also hypothesized

that stress due to COVID-19/the coronavirus will have a negative correlation with life

satisfaction; that is, the more one agreed with the statement “I am experiencing stress because of

COVID-19/the coronavirus,” the lower their life satisfaction. This hypothesis was not supported.

In the current sample, the way stress was measured was not correlated to the way life satisfaction

was measured. The study was not consistent with previous literature. Previous literature found

that stress was negatively correlated to life satisfaction (Holinka, 2015). A potential reason for

this inconsistency could be other factors such as a romantic relationship which could compensate

the negative effects of stress and contribute to overall life satisfaction.

A limitation of the study could be the timing of the study. If the study was taken place at

a time during peak isolation due to COVID-19 when the negative aspects of social isolation were
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more developed, the results could have been different in that life satisfaction could potentially be

lower and stress could be higher. Another limitation of the study could be the gender differences

in the sample size. The study had significantly higher number of females than males, therefore,

could limit the variability in the responses. Because of these limitations, future research should

look at all potential controlling factors, such as creating an even sample size of males to females

and the timing of the experiment – whether it is during a global pandemic or not to more

accurately record future results.

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References

Coccia, C., & Darling, C. (2016). Having the Time of Their Life: College Student Stress, Dating

and Satisfaction with Life. Stress and Health, 32(1), 28-35.

Diener, E., Emmons, R.A., Larsen, R.J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction with Life Scale.

Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71-75.

Holinka, C. (2015). Stress, Emotional Intelligence, and Life Satisfaction in College

Students. College Student Journal, 49(2), 300-311.