The Relationship Between Lifestyle Domains and Life Satisfaction in Globalized China: A Cross-Temporal Analysis

From a sustainability perspective, lifestyle choices shape behavioral patterns that extend beyond individual experiences, influencing both human well-being and environmental outcomes. Amid escalating human-induced climate change and its widespread social and ecological consequences, understanding lifestyle transformation has become increasingly important. This study traces the trajectories of lifestyle change within globalized contexts and examines the evolving relationships between lifestyle orientations and life satisfaction, with the aim of informing individual-level strategies to support sustainable development aligned with China’s 2060 carbon neutrality goal. Using data from Chinese General Social Survey across three time points (2003, 2013, 2023), a series of two-way analyses of variance reveal that individuals aged 19–35 with higher levels of income and education are more likely to adopt consumption-oriented lifestyles, whereas those aged 60 and above with middle income and lower educational attainment tend to exhibit leisure-oriented lifestyles. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses further indicate that both consumption-oriented and leisure-oriented lifestyles are positively associated with life satisfaction beyond the effects of income alone, although the strength of these associations varies across stages of the life course. Overall, the findings suggest that promoting leisure-oriented lifestyles may offer a viable pathway for enhancing subjective well-being while advancing long-term sustainability goals in contemporary China.