ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the research plan and its implementation. It covers sampling procedures, the instrument used to collect the data, measures and their psychometrics, and statistical procedures for data analysis. A 92-item questionnaire developed by the investigator was administered to survey subjects in their homes via telephone. The questionnaire was pretested for ease of administration, item clarity and determination of average time to complete. Two separate pretest determinations were conducted. Consistent with prior research, subjective well-being is measured as two distinctive dimensions: positive and negative affect. The intervening variable is residential satisfaction. Residential satisfaction is multidimensional and includes neighborhood satisfaction, housing satisfaction, and desire to move. Six variables measured negative social conditions: juvenile delinquency; victimization of neighbors; unemployment; female-headed households; welfare assistance; and births to teens. It was anticipated that elders with greater social support would have greater well-being.
