On the Relationship between Life Satisfaction of the Elderly and Daily Shopping Environment: The Case of Tama Newtown, Tokyo

Abstract

With the progress of the aging society, how to maintain the daily shopping environment for the elderly has attracted growing attention from a perspective toward life in good health. Thus, this study investigated the life satisfaction of the elderly living in Tama Newtown, Tokyo, which is one of the rapidly aging local communities in urban areas, by focusing on the daily shopping environment. For this purpose, the study applied a two-stage estimation model that first determined the shopping satisfaction and then the life satisfaction of the elderly based on data obtained from a questionnaire survey. The result of the model estimation revealed that shopping satisfaction was positively related to the life satisfaction of the elderly, and that economic factors, infrastructure, and daily life factors are important for the enhancement of their life satisfaction.