Research on the Impact of Job Characteristics on Residents’ Future Confidence

Against the backdrop of deepening economic and social transformation, residents’ confidence in the future has become an important indicator for evaluating the quality of social development and individual subjective well-being. Based on CFPS 2022 data, this study adopts a work characteristics perspective and employs a Generalized Structural Equation Model (GSEM) to systematically examine the mechanisms through which Work Income, Working Hours, Commuting Time, and Employer Type affect Residents’ Confidence in the Future, with particular attention to the mediating role of Job Satisfaction. The results show that: (1) Work Income exerts a significant positive indirect effect on Residents’ Confidence in the Future through Job Satisfaction, while its direct effect is not significant; (2) Working Hours have a positive direct effect on Residents’ Confidence in the Future, but generate a negative indirect effect by reducing Job Satisfaction; (3) the effect of Commuting Time on Residents’ Confidence in the Future is negative but not statistically significant and does not operate through Job Satisfaction; and (4) compared with civil servants, employees in private enterprises and foreign-funded enterprises exhibit significantly lower Residents’ Confidence in the Future, with part of this effect being indirectly transmitted through Job Satisfaction. This study suggests that Residents’ Confidence in the Future is shaped by multiple factors, including employment quality, labor intensity, commuting costs, and institutional differences across Employer Types. Accordingly, enhancing employment quality, improving labor conditions, optimizing commuting environments, and narrowing institutional disparities among different Employer Types are essential for jointly promoting economic development and social well-being.