The Effects of Job-Seeking Stress, Appearance Recognition, Financial Distress, Trust in Government, and Locus of Control on University Students’ Happiness
Most people seek a happy life and happiness positively affects sentiment, satisfaction with life, creativity, human relationship, business productivity, and even health and life extension. However, according to a survey in 2013, subjective happiness of adolescents (including university students) was very low compared to other age groups in Korea. Therefore this paper examined the effects of job-seeking stress, appearance recognition, financial situation, trust in government, and locus of control on university students' happiness using SEM (structural equation modeling). 207 university students in Seoul, Korea have been surveyed. At first, an initial experimental SEM model among these variables has been set up and reliability analysis has been conducted. Then multiple regression analyses on job-seeking stress and happiness as well as SEM analysis have been conducted. As a result of these analyses, the SEM model has been revised two times. The final SEM model passed the goodness-of-fit test (using RMR, GFI, NFI, CFI, and IFI indices). The final SEM model showed the followings. First, Higher job-seeking stress (especially sentimental part, rather than environment or action related parts) negatively affects happiness. Second, Trust in government also affects happiness both directly and indirectly. Third, Locus of control is affected both by trust in government and financial situation. Fourth, appearance recognition heavily affects job-seeking stress. In addition, appearance importance is higher than appearance interest, meaning that students who are not very interested in appearance usually recognize the importance of appearance. Finally, happiness is affected neither financial situation nor appearance recognition. Therefore, even either they are in a poor financial situation or not happy with their appearance, they can be happy if they have firm locus of control.