Perception of Life Satisfaction among Students of Rzeszów Universities

Abstract

Life satisfaction is one of the most important factors influencing the subjective perception of the well-being by an individual. The level of sat-isfaction affects the quality of development and adaptation to the new environment. The aim of this article is to analyze the perception of life satisfaction among young people who started their studies in science and humanities. The research was carried out as part of the author’s own project realized among 383 students of the Rzeszów University of Technology and the University of Rzeszów. The means employed included a diagnostic survey, the questionnaire technique and a standardized tool examining the level of satisfaction with life scale (SWLS – Satisfaction with life scale), by Ed Diner, Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen and Sharon Griffin were used in Polish adaptation by Zygrfyd Juczyński.

The research revealed that students’ overall life satisfaction was moder-ate and below average. Independent variables were taken into account: university, gender, age, place of residence, affluence, the order in which one was born in family, as well as the level of results achieved in secondary school. In three cases, i.e. university, gender and affluence, life satisfaction was at the level of statistical significance among the studied groups. On the other hand, the overall satisfaction with life was higher in the students of the Rzeszów University of Technology, also among the surveyed women and among the wealthier students. The research also shows that most of the respondents feel satisfied with life on a moderate level.