Exploring the importance of neighborhood characteristics to and their nonlinear effects on life satisfaction of displaced senior farmers

Although many studies examine critical neighborhood correlates of life satisfaction, few explore their nonlinear associations. Using a sample of resettled senior farmers in Suzhou, China, this study applies gradient boosting decision trees to identify the relative importance of the correlates of life satisfaction and their nonlinear effects. Results show that neighborhood characteristics collectively have about 42% of the power in predicting life satisfaction, while resettlement policies and demographics contribute to 12% and 27%, respectively. The most influential neighborhood attribute is social interaction, followed by outdoor space, neighborhood safety, neighborhood location, and housing condition. Moreover, most neighborhood characteristics are nonlinearly associated with life satisfaction. This study highlights the critical role of social interaction and outdoor space in improving the well-being of displaced senior farmers.