“How Do I Start Strong?”: Exploring the Subjective Well-Being, Beliefs, and Lifestyles of First-Year University Students in the UK
Abstract
1. Background
1.1. Introduction
1.2. UK Context
2. Research Design and Methodology
- How do the beliefs and lifestyles of first-year university students in the UK relate to their subjective well-being?
- How do first-year university students in the UK perceive the influence of their personal beliefs and lifestyles on their overall well-being?
2.1. Theoretical Framework and Methodology
2.2. Definitions of Key Terms
2.3. Procedure
2.4. Instruments
2.5. Data Collection
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Quantitative Results
3.2. Qualitative Results
3.2.1. Positive and Negative Well-Being Experiences
3.2.2. Influence of Beliefs on SWB
3.2.3. Influence of Lifestyles on SWB
3.2.4. Additional Influences on SWB
3.3. Transition-Linked Challenges That Negatively Affected SWB
4. Implications, Limitations, and Conclusions
4.1. Implications
4.2. Limitations
4.3. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Survey
- Note: Definitions of key terms were included in the online survey.
- Demographic Information
- Age:
- Gender:
- Status: full time or part time
- Ethnicity:
- Major:
- Religion:
- Nationality:
- Subjective Well-Being Scale
Agree | Disagree | ||||||
Strongly 1 | Somewhat 2 | A Little 3 | Don’t Know 4 | A Little 5 | Somewhat 6 | Strongly 7 | |
|
- 2.
- Beliefs
- 2.1.
- What are your beliefs? Philosophical ____________; Religious ____________. Please choose only the category that is more significant to you.
- 2.2.
- Can you describe the core axioms (assumptions) that guide your decision-making and approach to studying and life in general?
- 2.3.
- What fundamental beliefs or values do you consider essential to yourself?
- 2.4.
- What key principles or values do you follow in your work or life, and how do they influence your actions?
- 2.5.
- Please describe your philosophical beliefs or religious beliefs.
- 2.6.
- On a scale of 1–10, how important are religious beliefs or philosophical beliefs in your daily life?
- 2.7.
- On a scale of 1–10, how often do you engage in religious or spiritual practices (e.g., prayer, meditation, attending services)?
- 2.8.
- On a scale of 1–10, how much do your religious beliefs or philosophical beliefs influence your overall well-being?
- 3.
- Lifestyles
- 3.1.
- How would you describe your physical activity? (Active, Inactive)
- 3.2.
- How often do you engage in physical activity? (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely, Never)
- 3.3.
- How would you describe your dietary habits? (Balanced, Unbalanced)
- 3.4.
- How many hours of sleep do you get on average per night?
- 3.5.
- How would you describe your sleep pattern? (Regular, Irregular)
- 3.6.
- How often do you participate in campus or community activities? (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely, Never)
- 3.7.
- On a scale of 1–10, how important is community involvement to you?
- 4.
- General Comments & Conclusion
- What are the main challenges you have faced during your first year at university?
- How have your personal beliefs and lifestyles impacted your overall well-being?
- If there is one thing that your university, community, or family could do to better support your well-being, what would it be?
- Is there anything else you would like to share about other factors that influence your well-being?
Appendix B. Interview Guide for Qualitative Data
- Introduction
- Welcome the participants and thank them for their time.
- Explain the purpose of the interview: to explore factors influencing subjective well-being among first-year university students.
- Assure confidentiality and anonymity.
- Obtain consent to record the interview and explain how the data will be used.
- Definitions of key terms were explained to the participants prior to the interview.
- Demographic Information
- Age: Could you please tell me your age?
- Gender: How do you identify your gender?
- Nationality: Where are you from originally?
- Major: What is your major?
- Subjective Well-being
- Emotional Well-being: How would you describe your overall emotional well-being?
- Physical Well-being: How would you describe your overall physical well-being?
- Social Well-being: How would you describe your overall social well-being? Can you share examples of social interactions or relationships that impact your well-being?
- Beliefs
- 4.
- Religious Beliefs:
- What are your religious beliefs?
- How important are religious beliefs in your daily life?
- Can you describe any religious or spiritual practices you engage in regularly?
- How do your religious beliefs influence your overall well-being?
- 5.
- Philosophical Beliefs:
- What are your philosophical beliefs?
- How important are philosophical beliefs in your daily life?
- Can you share a belief or principle that is significant to you and explain its influence on your overall well-being?
- Lifestyles
- Physical Activity: Can you describe how physical activity fits into your daily routine? How does it make you feel?
- Dietary Habits: How would you describe your eating habits? Are there any specific foods or dietary choices that you believe impact your well-being?
- Sleep: How do you prioritize sleep in your daily life? How does your sleep pattern affect your overall well-being?
- Community Engagement
- Do you participate in any campus or community activities? Can you describe your involvement and its importance to you?
- How do you think being involved in campus or community activities affects your overall well-being?
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Participant Composition | Number of Participants |
---|---|
Age | |
16–18 | 26 |
19–21 | 150 |
22–24 | 21 |
Gender | |
Male | 100 |
Female | 90 |
Prefer not to say | 7 |
Status | |
Domestic | 156 |
International | 41 |
Ethnicity | |
Caucasian | 107 |
Asian | 60 |
African | 20 |
Other | 10 |
Religion | |
Christian | 40 |
Catholic | 30 |
Buddhist | 15 |
Muslim | 20 |
Hindu | 10 |
No religion | 82 |
Dietary Preferences | |
Balanced | 97 |
Unbalanced | 100 |
Physical Activity | |
Active | 118 |
Inactive | 79 |
Sleep Patterns | |
Regular | 89 |
Irregular | 108 |
Community Engagement | |
Active | 128 |
Inactive | 69 |
Majors | |
Science | 50 |
Engineering | 40 |
Arts | 30 |
Business | 50 |
Social sciences | 27 |
Demographic Factor | Category | Mean SWB Score | Standard Deviation | Statistical Significance (p-Value) | Test Type | Sum of Squares (SS) | Degrees of Freedom (df) | Mean Square (MS) | Correlation with SWB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age Group | 16–18 | 5.5 | 1.2 | p < 0.01 | ANOVA | 15.72 | 2 | 7.86 | 0.45 |
19–21 | 4.8 | 1.1 | |||||||
22–24 | 4.5 | 1.1 | |||||||
Gender | Male | 4.7 | 1.3 | p < 0.01 | t-test | 4.36 | 1 | 4.36 | 0.30 |
Female | 5.0 | 1.2 | |||||||
Student Type | Domestic | 5.2 | 1.0 | p < 0.05 | t-test | 6.80 | 1 | 6.80 | 0.40 |
International | 4.5 | 1.4 | |||||||
Religion | Christian | 5.3 | 1.1 | p < 0.01 | ANOVA | 8.95 | 5 | 1.79 | 0.35 |
Catholic | 5.0 | 1.2 | |||||||
Buddhist | 4.8 | 1.3 | |||||||
Muslim | 5.1 | 1.0 | |||||||
Hindu | 4.7 | 1.2 | |||||||
No Religion | 4.4 | 1.3 | |||||||
Major | Science | 5.1 | 1.1 | p < 0.01 | ANOVA | 5.23 | 4 | 1.31 | 0.20 |
Engineering | 4.9 | 1.2 | |||||||
Arts | 4.8 | 1.3 | |||||||
Business | 5.0 | 1.1 | |||||||
Social Sciences | 4.7 | 1.4 | |||||||
Ethnicity | Caucasian | 5.0 | 1.2 | p < 0.01 | ANOVA | 4.82 | 4 | 1.20 | 0.25 |
Asian | 4.9 | 1.3 | |||||||
African | 4.7 | 1.3 | |||||||
Other | 5.2 | 1.1 |
Beliefs | Lifestyles | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philosophical Beliefs | Religious Beliefs | No Belief | Dietary Habits Balanced Unbalanced | Physical Activity Active Inactive | Community Engagement Active Inactive | Sleep Patterns Regular Irregular | ||
Subjective Well-being | Emotional well-being | 0.39 ** | 0.89 ** | 0.18 | 0.26 * 0.05 | 0.04 −0.39 ** | 0.04 −0.26 * | 0.12 * −0.38 ** |
Social well-being | 0.77 ** | 0.84 ** | 0.29 * | 0.07 0.04 | 0.05 0.09 | 0.11 0.7 | 0.27 0.04 | |
Physical well-being | 0.87 ** | 0.71 ** | 0.00 | 0.08 −0.25 * | 0.05 −0.34 ** | 0.02 0.24 | 0.29 * −0.49 ** |
SWB | Beliefs | Lifestyles | Additional Influences on SWB | Transition-Linked Challenges |
---|---|---|---|---|
Positive and negative well-being experiences | Influence of Beliefs on SWB | Influence of Lifestyles on SWB | Effective time management | Stress related to coursework and exams |
Positive emotions: happiness and gratitude Optimism | Higher emotional well-being among students with religious beliefs | Balanced diet linked to improved SWB | Mindfulness | Challenges of leaving home for the first time |
Negative emotions: anxiety and frustration | Changes in beliefs & openness to new perspectives during university | Regular physical activity as a contributor to improved SWB | Seeking support | Struggles in building a new social network |
Consistent sleep patterns positively impacted SWB | Engaging in hobbies |
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Zhang, K.C. “How Do I Start Strong?”: Exploring the Subjective Well-Being, Beliefs, and Lifestyles of First-Year University Students in the UK. Societies 2025, 15, 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15030067
Zhang KC. “How Do I Start Strong?”: Exploring the Subjective Well-Being, Beliefs, and Lifestyles of First-Year University Students in the UK. Societies. 2025; 15(3):67. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15030067
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhang, Kaili C. 2025. "“How Do I Start Strong?”: Exploring the Subjective Well-Being, Beliefs, and Lifestyles of First-Year University Students in the UK" Societies 15, no. 3: 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15030067
APA StyleZhang, K. C. (2025). “How Do I Start Strong?”: Exploring the Subjective Well-Being, Beliefs, and Lifestyles of First-Year University Students in the UK. Societies, 15(3), 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15030067