Measuring Mental Quality of Life of Citizens in Different Areas in Terms of Objective (Physical) Development; Case Study: districts no.:3, 6, and 9 in Mashhad

In this article, it has been tried to analyze the mental satisfaction of the quality of life in different regions in terms of objective development. For this purpose, districts no. 3, 6, and 9 of Mashhad city which through the measures of education, income, and employment were respectively among the deprived, the average, and the privileged regions were selected as the case study areas. Moreover, to measure the mental satisfaction of the local people of the quality of life, a questionnaire considering three basic dimensions of quality of life, i.e. economic, environmental, and physical sustainability (residential environment, the quality of these infrastructures) was designed. The sample size equals 385 people who according to the population of study area were divided into clusters. The research findings showed that there is little or no significant difference between these districts in terms of the desired measures, so that in terms of economic issues, the district no. 9 had a better condition than the other two. There was no significant difference between the districts no. 3 and 9. Regarding satisfaction of the quality of housing and infrastructure, the inhabitants in the district no. 6 showed less satisfaction than others. In this regard, no significant difference was observed between the districts no. 3 and 6; however, regarding satisfaction of the environmental situation, there was a significant difference between the districts no. 3 and 9, whereas the district no. 6 was an exception. Generally, the district no. 9 in Mashhad has a better condition in terms of objective development, social status, and quality of mental life. In contrast, regarding these indices, the district no. 3 is among the poorest regions, so in terms of quality of mental life is in a average state. Yet, the district no. 6 due to its development and the middle social status has a less unfavorable condition in terms of the quality of life.