Associations between neighbourhood social cohesion and subjective well-being in two different informal settlement types in Delhi, India: a quantitative cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationships between neighbourhood cohesion and subjective well-being (SWB) in two different informal settlement types. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of a community-based survey. SETTING: Communities in two districts, Sanjay Colony, Okhla Phase II and Bhalswa in Delhi, India. PARTICIPANTS: 328 residents in Bhalswa and 311 from Sanjay Colony. MEASUREMENTS: Neighbourhood social cohesion scale measured on an 18-point scale and the SWB scale made up of four subjective measures—hedonic, eudaemonic, evaluative and freedom of choice. Sociodemographic characteristics and trust were used as covariates. RESULTS: In both neighbourhood types there was a statistically significant positive bivariate correlation between neighbourhood cohesion and SWB (Sanjay: r=0.145, p<0.05; Bhalswa: r=0.264, p<0.01). Trust and neighbourhood cohesion were strongly correlated (Sanjay: r=0.618, p<0.01; Bhalswa: r=0.533, p<0.01) and the longer the resident had lived in the community the greater the feeling of neighbourhood cohesion (Sanjay: r=0.157, p<0.01; Bhalswa: r=0.171, p<0.05). Only in the resettlement colony (Bhalswa) was SWB negatively correlated with length of residency (r=−0.117, p<0.05). Residents who chose their settlement type (Sanjay residents) were 22.5 percentage points (pp) more likely to have a feeling of belonging to their neighbourhood than residents that had been resettled (Bhalswa) (Cohen’s d effect size 0.45). Sanjay residents had a greater likelihood to feel more satisfied with life (4.8 pp, p<0.01) and having greater perceived freedom of choice (4.8 pp, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings contribute to the general knowledge about neighbourhood cohesion and SWB within different informal settlement types in a mega-city such as New Delhi, India. Interventions that promote sense of belonging, satisfaction with life and freedom of choice have the potential to significantly improve people’s well-being.