The Influence of Personal and Social Life Satisfaction on Farmer's Feelings and Life Meaning in East Java

Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Science, University of Muhammadiyah Malang. Jl. Raya Tlogomas 246, Malang 65114, Indonesia

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Abstract

This study explores how personal and social life satisfaction affect the emotional well-being and sense of purpose among farmers in East Java, Indonesia. A total of 293 farmers representing four main commodities—rice, sugarcane, shallots, and pineapple—were surveyed using a structured questionnaire adapted from the Indonesian National Happiness Survey. The respondents included 55 rice farmers and 94 sugarcane farmers in Malang, 91 shallot farmers in Nganjuk, and 53 pineapple farmers in Kediri. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Smart PLS. The results revealed that personal life satisfaction positively influences farmers' social feelings by 55%. Moreover, the effect of personal satisfaction on residential life (0.697) was greater than on emotional feelings (0.497). Farmers' happiness was found to be strongly shaped by their life within the community—greater satisfaction with social interactions leads to higher happiness levels. Social life satisfaction also had a stronger effect on life meaningfulness (path coefficient = 0.77) than personal satisfaction (0.69), and it more strongly influenced emotional states. Overall, the study concludes that farmers' happiness in East Java is deeply rooted in social connectedness, where communal life plays a dominant role in fostering emotional well-being and a meaningful sense of purpose.