Many studies of residential satisfaction have shown that the effect of residents' personal characteristics is mediated through their perceptions and evaluations of attributes of their neighbourhoods, but have not been able to show how this occurs. A path analysis which treats the personal variables as causally antecedent was tested in Cork, Ireland. This shows neighbourhood satisfaction to be a direct result of four perceived attributes and two personal characteristics, which together explain 38% of the variation in satisfaction. The other personal variables are mediated through these direct causes and contribute indirectly to satisfaction levels.
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