Under the Risk of COVID-19 Epidemic: A Study on the Influence of Life Attitudes, Leisure Sports Values, and Workplace Risk Perceptions on Urban Development and Public Well-Being

Abstract

This study examined the impact of attitudes toward life, recreational sports values, and workplace risk perceptions on urban development and public well-being under the risk of the COVID-19 epidemic in China. A mixed-method research study was conducted, and 2400 valid questionnaires were collected via purposeful sampling. The questionnaires were analyzed using the SPSS 26.0 statistical software and validated with basic statistical methods and Pearson’s correlation analysis. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to collect the opinions of 12 respondents on the questionnaire results, including academics, foreign entrepreneurs and employees, local entrepreneurs and employees, and official institutions. Finally, all the data collected were discussed via triangulation analysis. The survey found that different cities’ social and industrial development and job market needs lead to different attitudes toward life, leisure values, and perceptions of job-seeking and employment risks. The smoother a person’s growing-up background, the better their learning history, the better their learning and working experience, and the richer their life experience; consequently, positive attitudes toward life, correct leisure values, and positive attitudes toward job hunting and employment can be cultivated. In addition, people with positive attitudes toward life, leisure values, and job hunting and employment can improve their city’s economy and environment for sustainable development, thereby improving their quality of life and increasing their well-being.

1. Introduction

Climate change, extreme climate events, and COVID-19 infection are widespread [1,2]; this is coupled with the tense situation in Asia [3] and energy shortage in Europe over the last few years [4]. As a result, the world is now facing economic depression, stagnant industrial development [5], high unemployment rate, unstable security, and displaced people [6], which have caused international political tension and impacted the economic and social development of many countries [7]. These increase the risk of the living environment for the public, change leisure awareness and behavior, and decrease quality of life [8]. Eventually, they affect the life attitudes and leisure values of the public, change job-seeking and risk perceptions, and decrease people’s sense of well-being [9]. Consequently, countries are now actively investigating how to restructure a safe living environment to meet the development decision of a healthy and happy living environment for the public and to construct an urban environment that promotes well-being for residents [10].

1.1. The Sustainable Influence of Life Behavior, Work Attitudes, and Leisure Values on the Construction of a Happy Urban City

Some scholars believe that cities are the medium for human survival and transmission of civilization to achieve sustainable development [11]. However, differences in the scale of urban development, customs and culture, and educational attainment profoundly impact human development [12], which may lead to differences in attitudes, behaviors, and expertise. However, as long as the basic needs of the public are met, and the quality of life is improved [13], urban development can create a comfortable living environment and promote urban development even if the human resources of a city are composed of people from different urban cultures and living habits [14]. This model of complementary human resources can create conditions for sustainable urban development by complementing human resources and technology [15], which are conducive to rebuilding a safe living environment and restoring economic development and social order in a high-risk environment [16,17].

Because positive life attitudes have the benefits of helping people resist social pressure and enhancing the effectiveness of work or study [18,19], it is beneficial for cities to obtain effective manpower and enhance the effectiveness of urban construction and economic development [20]. Although different cities have different attitudes toward life in different contexts [18], maintaining a positive attitude toward life can create quality work, economic development, and urban well-being [20,21]. Positive leisure values can enhance one’s leisure involvement and the amount of exercise one gets to relax and enjoy oneself [22,23], which can help people improve their concentration and performance in high-risk environments [24]. Although the leisure patterns and sports values of people from different urban living backgrounds may vary [25], some scholars believe that maintaining positive leisure sports values can provide stable and efficient human resources and promote urban development [26,27]. In addition, maintaining a positive employment risk perception is beneficial for job seekers to obtain satisfactory welfare [28]. Furthermore, positive employment risk perceptions can help job seekers avoid workplace pitfalls and unfair treatment [29], which can help the public obtain sufficient and stable resources to meet their survival needs and improve their quality of life [30]. Although there are differences in job search and employment risk perceptions among people from different urban living backgrounds [31,32], scholars believe that as long as positive job search and employment risk perceptions are maintained, public employment and life needs can be met, and labor disputes can be reduced [33], which should help achieve the goal of urban development and creating a happy city [34]. Therefore, we believe that although there may be differences in people’s attitudes toward life, leisure values, and perceptions of job-seeking and employment risks in different urban settings, as long as positive attitudes are maintained, the gaps can be bridged and work efficiency can be improved, which are beneficial to urban development and the creation of urban happiness.

1.2. Research Innovation and Importance

Some scholars believe that good life experiences or attitudes can help enhance happiness, improve people’s working environment, and promote sustainable urban development [35]. Proper leisure planning and related concepts can facilitate the construction of friendly cities and shape happy living environments and urban spaces [36]. Therefore, having a positive and active work ethic can help companies manage and improve their operational performance and promote urban development [37]. The higher people’s socioeconomic status, the stronger their leisure consciousness [38], the more positive their ecological attitude, the better their personal career planning, and the better their quality of life and work efficiency [35], which are beneficial to promoting the sustainable development of cities and the well-being of the public [35,36,37]. Therefore, we believe that even in a high-risk environment, if the public can have a good attitude toward life, a positive attitude toward work, and positive leisure values, it should help strengthen the benefits of urban development and shape a happy living atmosphere. Nevertheless, the decision-making or theoretical basis for this perception may be inaccurate with reality [39] and requires time to be verified [40]. The first-hand experience of actual participants and various investigative methods have provided validation and made it easier for us to explore unknown issues and outline the truth that is close to the facts [39,40,41]. In addition, the main research focus of the current study is on the vaccine effectiveness of COVID-19 [42], public health decision-making and management [43], tourism impact [44], ecology [45], and industrial development [33]. The issue of public life attitudes, leisure sports values, perceptions of job-seeking and workplace risks, and impact on urban development and personal well-being in an epidemic environment has not been explored. This issue has not been examined from the perspective of the public in various places of residence. For this reason, we propose that it would be meaningful to investigate differences in life attitudes, leisure sports values, and perception of job-seeking and workplace risks in terms of their impact on urban development and well-being from the public’s perspective in various places of residence.

In summary, the aim of this study is to examine public life attitudes, leisure sports values, differences in perceptions of job-seeking and workplace risks, and the impact on personal well-being in the context of urban development from the perspective of the public in various places of residence. We are confident that the results of this survey will facilitate administration’s awareness of the necessity of embracing an inclusiveness approach to listening to the voices of people from various places of residence. This will provide the public with an opportunity to develop positive life attitude, leisure sports values, and perception of job-seeking and workplace risks while quickly adapting to the development patterns of heterogeneous urbans. It will eventually facilitate cities and the public to achieve the goal of urban integration and build an urban environment that promotes well-being under epidemic risk circumstances.

2. Theoretical Background

2.1. Life Attitude

Life attitude refers to an intrapersonal awareness of life reflecting one’s current society, environment, and culture [18]. It generates various perceptions and behaviors related to social experiences depending on individuals’ differences in social status and education level [19]. Academics suggest that exploring the life attitudes of individuals can reflect real-life behavior patterns and provide the basis for understanding the judgment of such behaviors [46].

Academics also point out that life attitude can be discussed in terms of interpersonalism, egoism, and idealism [47]. It can be analyzed in terms of the awareness of participants [39,40,41], selflessness, nepotism, defending the right to live, active working, and the pursuit of status [48]. It can be the basis for judging the thinking patterns of people based on their life behaviors [46].

In this regard, we suggest that with the public as the target, life attitudes should be analyzed on four issues: selflessness, nepotism, doing things based on one’s thoughts, and working with health as a priority. This can reveal the attitudes and perceptions of the public toward their current lifestyle.

2.2. Leisure Sports Values

Values refer to an evaluation of an individual’s experience of things or activities [49]. A value system refers to an individual’s use of known cognition to establish his/her judgment and behavioral norms about something [50]. Leisure sports values refer to the moral or behavioral norms of individuals engaged in leisure sports [51]. Academics have posited that exploring public leisure sports values can reflect the behavioral patterns in which people engage in leisure sports and their inner attitudes toward and recognition of participation in leisure sports [52].

On the other hand, some scholars have indicated that leisure sports values could be discussed in terms of self-understanding, health, esthetics, and life satisfaction [53]. Additionally, they can be evaluated in terms of maintaining physical and mental health [39,40,41], increasing interpersonal interactions, improving quality of life, and learning leisure skills, as perceived by actual participants [54]. In this way, the behavioral criteria of current leisure sports values can be explored, and the basis for setting individual behavioral criteria can be determined [50].

As a result, we suggest that with the public as the target, leisure sports values should be analyzed on four issues: maintaining physical and mental health, increasing interpersonal interaction, improving quality of life, and learning leisure skills. This can provide a basis for judging personal leisure sports values when the public engages in leisure activities.

2.3. Risks of Job Seeking and Workplace

Risk refers to unpredictable and unavoidable outcomes or behaviors people face when they come into contact with a person or an object or participate in an event or activity [55]. Perception of job-seeking risk refers to the way that people judge a job-seeking situation to reduce the trap of falling into the employment market when choosing job content and conditions [56]. Additionally, perception of workplace risk refers to the cognition or behavior used to reduce workplace surprises and avoid work disputes after obtaining a job. According to academics, exploring perceptions of job-seeking and workplace risks can reveal the rationale and perspectives of people when choosing employment conditions and their workplace attitudes [57].

Other research has indicated that job-seeking risk can be examined in terms of self-perceptions of job seeking, perceptions of the job-seeking environment, and job-seeking attitudes and behaviors [58]. Workplace risk can be determined by employment risk and workplace stress [59]. Additionally, it can be discussed from the perceptions of actual participants [39,40,41] in terms of workplace expertise, communication skills, working attitudes, connections, salary, social status, job security, quality of life, contribution making, crowding out job opportunities for local residents, health burden, disrespect, competition, conflict occurrence, business expansion, and increased workload [56,57,58,59,60,61]. These can become criteria for determining the true perceptions and judgments of people’s perceived risks of their workplace and job seeking [41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58].

With the public as the target, we analyzed workplace and job-seeking risk perceptions from 5 aspects and 21 issues, such as self-perception of job seeking, environmental perception, attitude, behavior, risk, and workplace stress. The results reveal a true picture of public perceptions of workplace and job-seeking risks.

2.4. Well-Being

Well-being refers to when certain things satisfy one’s material needs in life and recognition of the surrounding living environment and interaction [62]. It is a complex and subjective psychological attitude, and it is measured based on an individual’s subjective feelings and preferences [63]. Researchers have suggested that exploring well-being reveals the extent to which the public feels positively about the current development of and life experiences in a city after developing or living there [64].

It is noted that well-being can be explored in terms of people’s life experiences and perceptions [39,40,41], from enhancing the quality of life to improving physical and mental health and increasing self-confidence [65]. It can reflect the effectiveness of economic development of cities [66] and can also demonstrate the health and welfare status of individuals based on their local living experiences [67].

Accordingly, we suggest that the public, as a target group, is used to discuss people’s well-being through the issues of enhancing quality of life, improving physical and mental health, and increasing self-confidence. These issues can be considered to determine the happiness of the public in a city regarding their current living or experience.

2.5. Rural and Urban Development Impact

Cognition refers to the process by which individuals acquire knowledge through the stages of formation, perception, judgment, or imagination [68]. Cognition regarding rural and urban development impact refers to perceptions about the development status or construction effectiveness of a rural village or an urban community [69]. It is believed that cognition on urban development impact can reveal the impact of a decision, person, resource, or event on the current state of rural and urban development [70].

It has been pointed out that the impact of rural and urban development can be discussed at the economic, social, and environmental levels [71]. It can be discussed from the perceptions of actual participants [39,40,41] in terms of enhancing development capital, industrial human resources, public construction, professional knowledge, industrial technology, monument maintenance, cultural cohesion, living environment, transportation planning, medical health level, natural ecological diversity, and air quality [68,69,70,71]. The results of the current development of a city in terms of economy, industry, and public construction can be obtained [72].

Therefore, we suggest that the public, as the target group, should discuss the impact of rural and urban development on 12 issues, such as economic, social, environmental, and urban development, and the enhancement of development funds and industrial human resources. This will reveal the impact of development decisions and citizen participation on rural and urban development.

3. Methods

3.1. Framework

This study was conducted in Sanya city to collect the views of local and foreign residents. This study investigated the attitudes of people living in different places, their leisure values, their perceptions of job-seeking and workplace risks, and whether these have an impact on the development of the city and people’s well-being. The research framework is shown in Figure 1.

3.2. Hypothesis

Scholars, such as Airenti, Tillman, and Lu, have argued that the living environment creates specific habits and behaviors [68,73,74,75]. Perceptions of life pattern are the basis for determining the difference in an outsider’s current survival resilience and stress intensity when adapting to another living environment [68,74]. The greater the living and growing environment, the lower the stress resistance, and vice versa [75,76]. This difference influences people’s perceptions of life attitudes and leisure values [75]. We believe this may result in people with a low ease of access to leisure sports being accustomed to having a low-stress life and work environment and maintaining a comfortable leisure status. Moreover, differences in attitudes toward life can affect the degree of decision-making [68]. In terms of leisure environment needs, people tend to have different leisure values [64]. The effectiveness of different work values on decision-making also differs [66]. Ultimately, this leads to an effect of attitude toward life, leisure, and work values on the effectiveness of urban development [67] and people’s perception of happiness [63,67]. Therefore, based on the above inferences, we derived the following hypotheses and then tested them:

Hypothesis 1 (H1): 

There is a common perception of people’s perceived attitudes toward life in different places of residence.

Hypothesis 2 (H2): 

There is a common perception of the perceived values of leisure among people in different places of residence.

Hypothesis 3 (H3): 

There is a common perception of the perceived risks of work or job seeking across residence places.

Hypothesis 4 (H4): 

There is an equally significant impact of life attitudes on urban economy, society, environment, and well-being.

Hypothesis 5 (H5): 

There is an equally significant impact of leisure values on urban economy, society, environment, and well-being.

Hypothesis 6 (H6): 

There is an equally significant impact of job search and workplace risks on urban economy, society, environment, and well-being.

3.3. Process, Methods, and Tools

Scholars have not discussed this topic in the study location, and it is a cross-cutting issue that spans culture, economics, and public health. Some scholars have argued that by combining qualitative and quantitative research methods and using multiple-check analysis, different aspects of a problem can be understood [77]. Hopefully, this can lead to richer and more refined answers to questions that have not yet been discussed or answered [78,79,80,81]. Therefore, this study was investigated based on a mixed methods research approach. First, we identified the research direction and topics by reviewing relevant literature. The questionnaire was designed using a Likert scale, where 5 represents very satisfied, and 1 represents very dissatisfied. According to the Delphi method, scholars in sociology, the science of decision-making, and economics were invited to examine the content validity of the questionnaire. After preparing the initial questionnaire, 100 pretest questionnaires were statistically validated using the SPSS 22.0 statistical software. As suggested in previous studies, we tested for issues regarding good reliability based on Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) > 0.06 and p-value less than 0.01 (p < 0.01) using the Bartlett’s test, and α greater than 0.60 was used [82,83]. Finally, valid and reliable questions were retained to edit the final questionnaire.

After the final questionnaire was verified, we began purposive sampling on an online questionnaire platform between October and December 2022, targeting academics, expatriate entrepreneurs and employees, local entrepreneurs and employees, and official organizations. A snowball sampling method was used to request respondents to assist in recommending eligible participants to participate in the survey, including their friends and relatives. Snowball sampling was then conducted by editing the survey responses according to IP location. A total of 2400 valid questionnaires were eventually obtained. The data were first analyzed using basic statistical tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation (PPMCC) method.

After analyzing the questionnaire sample, we conducted semi-structured interviews in January 2023. We asked local seniors, immigrants, academics, and officials for their views based on the results and phenomena analyzed in the questionnaire. Finally, the survey information was summarized through compilation, integration, classification, summarization, comparison, and analysis, and the multivariate check analysis method was adopted to explore the issues. The results of the questionnaire analysis and the background of the interviewees are shown in

Table 1. Results of questionnaire analysis and background of interviewees.

Structure (α)	City Classification and Connotation
Background	Residence	First-tier cities (C1): top 4 cities in China based on economic volume. New first-tier cities (NC1): cities in China with high business concentration, urban hubs, active people, diversity, and plasticity of life. Second-tier cities (C2): regional center cities with dynamic development or advanced economy. Third-tier cities (C3): medium- and large-sized cities with strategic significance, relatively well-developed economy, and large economic volume. Fourth-tier Cities (C4): medium-sized cities with relatively common urban size, economic and social development levels, and transportation facilities. Fifth-tier Cities (C5): cities with a relatively poor economic base, insufficient transportation, limited number of large enterprises, and mainly agricultural industries.
Structure (α/σ2)	Substructure (α/σ2)	Issues			KMO	Bartlett	Cronbach α
Cognition of life attitude (0.914/73.7%)		Willing to contribute to society without compensation, priority of interests for hometown people, priority of self-interest, and priority of health over work			0.830	2553.47 *	0.864–0.912
Leisure sports values (0.855/60.3%)		Maintain physical and mental health, improve interpersonal interaction, enhance the quality of life, and learn leisure or sports skills			0.814	1421.88 *	0.790–0.845
Job-seeking risks (0.959/77.32%)	Job requirements and demands (0.956/35.60%)	Workplace expertise as the main consideration for job seeking, workplace connections as the main consideration for job seeking, and workplace salary as the main consideration for job seeking			0.940	9896.15 *	0.954–0.956
	Job seeking expectations and attitude (0.955/35.49%)	Improve social status, job security, and quality of life					0.940–0.955
	Job seeking goals and behaviors (0.957/6.3%)	Contribute to the city, impart professional knowledge and experience, and alleviate the financial burden of family members					0.954–0.957
Workplace risks (0.920/82.12%)	Right to competitive work (0.920/51.43%)	Foreign job seekers squeeze out job opportunities for locals, and foreign job seekers cause hardship, health, or physical strain on locals			0.927	8396.25 *	0.886–0.908
	Stress in the workplace (0.920/30.69%)	Being discriminated against/discriminating against migrants, conflict, normality of a competitive environment, greater scope of a migrant’s work or business, variety of migrants’ workload, and shorter working hours of migrants					0.889–0.918
Urban development impact (0.974/82.72%)	Economics (0.971/31.57%)	Complement development funds, improve the quality of human resources in the employment market, and enhance public facilities			0.961	11,163.5 *	0.969–0.971
	Society (0.972/27.83%)	Promote cultural and artistic interaction, value cultural history and monuments, and build consensus among the public					0.970–0.972
	Environment (0.973/23.2%)	Improve the living environment, improve transportation, and improve health and medical care.					0.968–0.974
Rural development (0.974/80.05%)		Strengthen ecological conservation, reduce pollution and waste.			0.950	15,224.5 *	0.945–0.950
Well-being (0.965/90.2%)		Improve quality of life, physical and mental health, and self-confidence			0.782	2894.2 *	0.943–0.953
Identity		Gender	Residence time/years of work experience	Identity	Gender	Residence time/years of work experience
Professor/resident (P1)		Male	15	Resident (R1)	Male	40
Professor/resident (P2)		Female	20	Resident (R2)	Female	38
Professor/migrants (P3)		Male	15	Migrants (M1)	Male	5
Professor/migrants (P4)		Female	10	Migrants (M2)	Female	6

* p < 0.01.

below.

3.4. Scope and Limitations

China has a rich history, with 30 provinces, 1 autonomous region, 12 municipalities, 5 administrative regions, 1 locality, and 1 region, with a total of 672 cities [84]. With a total population of 1.412 billion, its cities can be divided into first-tier cities, new first-tier cities, second-tier cities, third-tier cities, fourth-tier cities, and fifth-tier cities according to the scale of their economic and political development [85]. The city of Sanya is located in Hainan Province, China, a tropical monsoon climate region surrounded by sea, with a diverse topography and a rich natural and ecological environment [84]. According to existing statistics, the city attracts 1,180,900 people to travel and spend money each year, generating about USD 3464.5 million [86], which shows the extent of dependence on and effectiveness of developing the tourism industry in the region. However, due to the complex demographic structure of the region, there are more than 20 ethnic groups. The Chinese (48.5%) and ethnic minorities (41.5%) each account for half of the population [87]. The long-standing impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has severely affected the tourism industry and economic development of the region. In order to obtain the few benefits of tourism and industrial development, local people are prone to consumer and labor disputes [88], which hinders the development of the city and reduces people’s well-being. Therefore, we believe that using Sanya as a case study, we can explore the influence of people from different urban living backgrounds on the city, natural environment, and industrial development, which can help cities around an ocean achieve sustainable ecological and urban economic development and build a happy living environment.

The research team collected questionnaires via convenience and snowball sampling, utilizing an online platform and actual survey interviews. Unfortunately, as the epidemic was gradually spreading in Guangdong, it became more difficult for the research team to collect data. Furthermore, the team faced human resource, funding, and time limitations. We, therefore, include these limitations in the study as they affect the number of questionnaires, the background of respondents, and the final analysis results. Consequently, we include these shortcomings in our future research recommendations and look forward to further improvements by subsequent researchers.

3.5. Ethical Considerations

The questionnaire was collected anonymously. During the study, the respondents were introduced to the research topic. The main purpose was to explain the theme, methodology, and questionnaire design of the study in order to obtain the respondents’ willingness to be interviewed and to offer information on the right to use the questionnaire data and other issues. This study adopted a questionnaire and interview method, collected data through a web-based platform, and analyzed the data using a statistical software. There was no physical experimentation in this process, the data were strictly and confidentially collected, and all information was obtained with the respondents’ consent. Additionally, the survey sampling process followed the principles of fairness, openness, and impartiality [89,90]. Moreover, all survey procedures were designed in accordance with the guidelines of the Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan, No. 1010265075 [91]. The survey procedures were also in accordance with Article 1004 and Article 1009 of the Civil Code of China [92]. Therefore, the design of this study and all investigation procedures were in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

4. Analysis and Results

A basic statistical analysis of 2400 valid questionnaires was first conducted. From the background of the sample, a total of 372 (15.8%) participants were from first-tier cities (C1), 102 (4.3%) participants were from new first-tier cities (NC1), 258 (30.5%) participants were from second-tier cities (C2), 732 (24.1%) participants were from third-tier cities (C3), 579 (24.1%) participants were from fourth-tier cities (C4), and 351 (14.6%) participants were from fifth-tier cities (C5). 14.6%. The data were then analyzed using basic statistical validation, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation (PPMCC), followed by inference based on the results of the interviews, and then final analysis based on multivariate check analysis.

4.1. Analysis of Public Life Attitudes, Leisure Values, and Workplace Risk Perceptions

For the analysis of public perceptions of these issues, we explored the feelings of participants from different birthplaces separately and then the differences in perceptions between birthplaces. The first analysis was on the awareness of public life attitudes. The first-tier, new first-tier, second-tier, and fourth-tier city residents had the highest perceptions of health as a work priority (4.13). The residents in third-tier (4.23) and fifth-tier (4.09) cities had the highest perceptions of prioritizing their own interests.

The second analysis was about the perception of leisure values. The public (4.11) overall and the residents in second-tier (3.92), new first-tier (4.41), third-tier (4.20), first-tier (4.09), fifth-tier (4.09), and fourth-tier (4.04) cities all had high perceptions of maintaining personal physical and mental health.

In terms of job-seeking risk perceptions, improving quality of life (4.22), reducing the financial burden of family members (4.18), and job offer conditions as a factor for consideration when seeking employment (4.00) were all considered. The participants in new first-tier cities had the highest perceptions of salary being the main consideration for job-seeking (4.38), employment security (4.35), imparting professional knowledge and experience (4.09), and alleviating the financial burden of family members (4.09). In second-tier cities, the major considerations when job seeking were salary (4.06), improving quality of life (4.15), and alleviating the financial burden of family members (4.24). In third-tier cities, the major considerations when job seeking were professional knowledge (4.07), improving quality of life (4.19), and alleviating the financial burden of family members (4.20). In fourth-tier cities, the major considerations when job seeking were salary (3.86), improving quality of life (4.17), and alleviating the financial burden on family members (4.06). In fifth-tier cities, the major considerations when job seeking were employment security (4.33), alleviating the financial burden of family members (4.21), workplace connections (4.00), and salary (4.00).

On the other hand, regarding the risks of workplace, public perceptions of heavy workload (3.53) and increased health or physical load (3.39) were the highest priorities. The participants in first-tier cities had the strongest perceptions of foreign job seekers causing hardship to local people (3.61) and heavy workload (3.56). The participants in new first-tier cities had the highest perceptions of the normality of a competitive environment (3.85) and of job seekers from outside the country causing local people to have a difficult life (3.44). The participants in second-tier cities had the highest perceptions of heavy workload (3.57) and increased health or physical load (3.33). In third-tier cities, people’s perceptions were highest on the issues of larger work scope (3.50) and increased health and physical load (3.40). Those in fourth-tier cities had the highest perceptions of heavy workload (3.44) and increased health and physical load (3.32). In fifth-tier cities, people had the highest perceptions on the issues of heavy workload (3.68) and foreign job seekers causing hardship to local people (3.55). The detailed data analysis is shown in

Table 2. Analysis of differences in life attitudes, leisure values, and perception of workplace risks among people from different places of residence.

Facet	Sub-Facet	Issue	M	SD	Rank	First-Tier	New First-Tier	Second-Tier	Third-Tier	Fourth-Tier	Fifth-Tier	p-Value	Post Hoc Tests
Life attitudes		Willingness to contribute without compensation to society	3.85	1.083	4	3.83 ●	3.06 ●	3.81 ●	3.99 ●	3.82 ●	3.89 ●	0.021 *	First-tier cities, second-tier cities, third-tier cities, fourth-tier cities, fifth-tier cities > new first-tier cities
		Prioritize the interests of hometown people	3.95	1.062	3	3.83 ●	3.32	3.91	4.11	3.93	3.97	0.011 *	Third-tier cities > New first-tier cities
		Prioritize their own interests	4.01	1.088	2	3.83 ●	3.09	3.93	4.23 ★	4.02	4.09 ★	0.013 *	First-tier cities, second-tier cities, third-tier cities, fourth-tier cities, fifth-tier cities > new first-tier cities; third-tier cities > first-tier cities
		Prioritize health as a work priority	4.13	0.900	1	4.12 ★	4.41 ★	3.94 ★	4.20	4.12 ★	4.09 ★	0.004	N/A
Leisure values		Maintain physical and mental health of individuals	4.11	0.950	1	4.09 ★	4.41 ★	3.92 ★	4.20 ★	4.04 ★	4.09 ★	0.164	N/A
		Promote interpersonal interaction	3.85	1.046	4	3.83 ●	3.38 ●	3.83	4.06	3.72 ●	3.79 ●	0.012 *	Third-tier cities > New first-tier cities, Fourth-tier cities
		Enhance quality of life	3.88	0.989	5	3.92	3.79	3.67 ●	3.97	3.83	3.89	0.000	N/A
		Learn leisure or sports skills	3.89	0.893	2	3.94	4.15	3.81	3.93 ●	3.73	3.99	0.011	N/A
Job-seeking risks	Job requirements and demands	Workplace expertise as the main consideration in job seeking	3.95	0.864	2	4.01	4.03 ●	3.88	4.07 ★	3.76	3.99 ●	0.011 *	third-tier > fourth-tier
		Career connections as the main consideration for job seeking	3.92	0.886	3	3.94 ●	4.18	3.77 ●	4.03	3.74 ●	4.00 ★	0.167 *	third-tier > fourth-tier
		Salary as the main consideration for job seeking	4.00	0.882	1	4.02 ★	4.38 ★	4.06 ★	4.02 ●	3.86 ★	4.00 ★	0.042	N/A
	Job-seeking expectations and attitude	Enhancement of social status	3.89	0.920	3	4.02 ●	3.76 ●	3.84 ●	3.91 ●	3.80 ●	3.97 ●	0.131	N/A
		Improve job security	4.17	0.817	2	4.27	4.35 ★	4.14	4.08	4.10	4.33 ★	0.020	N/A
		Improve quality of life	4.22	0.827	1	4.35 ★	4.15	4.15 ★	4.19 ★	4.17 ★	4.32	0.252	N/A
	Job-seeking goals and behaviors	Contribute to the city	3.99	0.850	3	4.06 ●	3.76 ●	4.00 ●	4.03 ●	3.88 ●	4.05 ●	0.000	N/A
		Transfer of expertise and experience	4.08	0.838	2	4.11	4.09 ★	4.08	4.13	3.94	4.16	0.006	N/A
		Alleviate the financial burden of family members	4.18	0.830	1	4.29 ★	4.09 ★	4.24 ★	4.20 ★	4.06 ★	4.21 ★	0.504	N/A
Workplace risk	Right to competitive work	Foreign job seekers will squeeze job opportunities for locals	3.21	1.289	3	3.34 ●	2.97 ●	2.90 ●	3.19 ●	3.18 ●	3.48	0.005	N/A
		Foreign job seekers would cause hardship to locals	3.37	1.223	2	3.61 ★	3.44 ★	3.20	3.34	3.23	3.50 ★	0.004	N/A
		Increased health or physical load	3.39	1.184	1	3.51	3.26	3.33 ★	3.40 ★	3.32 ★	3.44 ●	0.001	N/A
	Stress in the workplace	Discriminated against migrants	3.32	1.127	5	3.33	3.68	3.15 ●	3.29	3.29	3.46	0.711	N/A
		Conflicts	3.28	1.149	6	3.25 ●	3.62 ●	3.37	3.19 ●	3.25 ●	3.38 ●	0.495	N/A
		Competitive environment ambience constantly	3.46	1.111	4	3.45	3.85 ★	3.42	3.43	3.38	3.58	0.504	N/A
		Larger work range	3.51	1.020	3	3.53	3.74	3.47	3.50 ★	3.41	3.63	0.060	N/A
		Heavy workload	3.53	1.010	1	3.56 ★	3.76	3.57 ★	3.47	3.44 ★	3.68 ★	0.002	N/A
		Insufficient working time	3.52	1.049	2	3.50	3.79	3.45	3.50 ★	3.42	3.73	0.239	N/A

* p < 0.01; ★ High awareness, ● Low awareness.

.

4.2. Analysis of the Correlation between Life Attitudes, Leisure Values, Workplace Risks, Urban Development, and Well-Being

The influence of life attitudes, leisure values, and workplace risks (job-seeking and workplace risks) on urban development was first analyzed. It was found that life attitudes (0.572), leisure values (0.620), job-seeking risk (0.739), and workplace risk (0.488) had a significant influence on urban development, with p < 0.01. Additionally, job-seeking risk had more influence and workplace risk had less influence on urban development. Next, life attitudes (0.564), leisure values (0.603), and job-seeking risk (0.716) had the greatest influence on economic development. Workplace risk (0.484) interfered most with environmental development. Job-seeking conditions and demand (0.702), competition for the right to work (0.550), and pressure in the workplace (0.603) interfered most with economic development. Job-seeking expectations and attitudes (0.622) interfered more with the development of the environment. Job-seeking goals and behaviors (0.669) interfered more with social development.

The effects of life attitudes, leisure values, and workplace risks (job-seeking and workplace risks) on well-being were analyzed successively. We observed that life attitudes (0.533), leisure values (0.579), job-seeking risk (0.710), and workplace risk (0.388) had significant effects on well-being, with p < 0.01. Job-seeking risk interfered the most with well-being, while workplace risk interfered less. Secondly, workplace stress and self-confidence were the main influencing factors on quality of life and physical and mental health. The detailed data analysis is shown in

Table 3. Analysis of the correlation between life attitudes, leisure values, workplace risks, and urban development.

	Urban Development Impact	Economic Impact	Social Impact	Environmental Impact	Rural Development Impact
Life attitudes	0.572 **	0.564 **	0.552 **	0.544 **	0.485 **
Leisure values	0.620 **	0.603 **	0.595 **	0.596 **	0.634 **
Job-seeking risks	0.739 **	0.716 **	0.711 **	0.711 **	0.562 **
Job requirements and demands	0.721 **	0.702 **	0.685 **	0.697 **	0.594 **
Job-seeking expectations and attitude	0.643 **	0.619 **	0.617 **	0.622 **	0.416 **
Job-Seeking goals and behaviors	0.684 **	0.663 **	0.669 **	0.651 **	0.467 **
Workplace risk	0.488 **	0.465 **	0.453 **	0.484 **	0.467 **
Right to competitive work	0.553 **	0.550 **	0.525 **	0.527 **	0.530 **
Stress in the workplace	0.620 **	0.603 **	0.595 **	0.596 **	0.491 **

** p < 0.01.

and

Table 4. Analysis of the correlation between life attitudes, leisure values, workplace risks, and well-being.

	Well-Being	Effectively Enhance Quality of Life	Improve Physical and Mental Health	Increase Self-Confidence
Life attitude	0.533 **	0.528 **	0.518 **	0.500 **
Leisure values	0.579 **	0.576 **	0.564 **	0.541 **
Job-seeking risks	0.710 **	0.697 **	0.680 **	0.682 **
Job requirements and demands	0.677 **	0.666 **	0.656 **	0.641 **
Job-seeking expectations and attitude	0.645 **	0.632 **	0.614 **	0.627 **
Job-seeking goals and Behaviors	0.645 **	0.634 **	0.613 **	0.624 **
Workplace risk	0.388 **	0.382 **	0.370 **	0.373 **
Right to competitive work	0.377 **	0.370 **	0.364 **	0.360 **
Stress in the workplace	0.579 **	0.576 **	0.564 **	0.541 **

** p < 0.01.

.

5. Discussion

5.1. Life Attitudes, Leisure Values, and Workplace Risks (Job-Seeking and Workplace Risks): Perceptions of the Public

5.1.1. Cognition of Life Attitudes

First, we discuss the results on public life attitudes. The analysis found that people born in first-tier, new first-tier, second-tier, and fourth-tier cities prioritize personal health while living and working in those cities. We believe that the community environment and economic development in China’s second-tier cities and above are well developed, while fourth-tier cities are generally undeveloped communities where people do not have high incomes. However, people in these cities have a slow pace of life, a high sense of personal health, and a desire to not work under too much pressure. As a result, people in these cities have developed a strong awareness of health maintenance. This result is consistent with the literature [8,66,69].

According to our analysis, people in third-tier and fifth-tier cities believe that the main consideration in life is the benefits they receive. We believe that people in third-tier cities are well prepared for development, whereas people in fifth-tier cities have grown up with low living standards and low incomes and are actively looking forward to getting out of poverty and improving the quality of life of their families by seeking jobs abroad. As a result, people in these cities have developed an awareness of the importance of gaining more benefits in life or work. This result is consistent with the literature [7].

In addition, in the analysis of the differences in the perceptions of attitudes toward life among residents in different places of residence, we found that an attitude toward life of new first-tier city residents is that they do not agree with unconditional dedication to society and that they should prioritize the interests of their family members in their lives. We believe that due to the competitive working environment, high workload, and pressure in first-tier cities, and the heavy responsibility of family care, it is necessary to invest a lot of physical and mental energy in order to obtain benefits to improve one’s quality of life. Therefore, residents in new first-tier cities subconsciously believe they do not want to spend too much time on social services and share the benefits and job opportunities. This result is consistent with the literature [13].

Our subsequent analysis shows that residents of first-tier and new first-tier cities are willing to live and work with a sense of caring for the interests of others. We believe that while residents of first-tier cities want to defend their economic interests, most are highly educated, financially productive, and willing to help disadvantaged groups when they can. As a result, people in these cities have invariably developed a sense of willingness to care for the disadvantaged. This result is consistent with the literature [27].

Summing up the above reasoning, we believe that due to the differences in development decisions and the scale of different cities, there are differences in perceptions toward life due to individuals’ life backgrounds and experiences. This is the main reason why people from different places of origin may have different perceptions of their attitudes and behaviors even if they are currently working or developing in the same city. This result is inconsistent with hypothesis 1 of the study.

5.1.2. Leisure and Sports Values

Next, we discuss people’s perceptions of the value of leisure. The analysis found that all participants agreed that the main purpose of investing in leisure is to maintain one’s physical and mental health. We believe that the current development decisions in China are aimed at actively raising education levels, raising awareness of sports and leisure among the population, and attempting to maintain the population’s health to reduce healthcare costs. As a result, the public has invariably developed a sense that maintaining one’s physical and mental health is the main value of investing in leisure. This result is consistent with the literature [25,26,35,69,71].

In addition, first-tier, new first-tier, fourth-tier, and fifth-tier city residents believe that leisure can increase interpersonal interaction. We believe that people in large cities want to use leisure to relieve their stress and gain opportunities to expand their network due to the demands of work pressure. Rural areas, on the other hand, have a lot of local culture, customs, industries, and demographics. Most people look forward to connect and exchange information through leisure activities. Thus, the main reason for urban people to invest in leisure is the desire to increase interpersonal interaction. This result is consistent with the literature [13,35,39].

Successive analyses revealed that residents of third-tier cities believe that leisure can be used to learn leisure skills. We believe that because third-tier cities have clear development goals, local governments tend to focus on tourism and the leisure industry as their main drivers. Local governments and citizens hope to obtain technology or patents for the leisure industry through corporate investment. In this way, they hope to obtain professional knowledge to improve their city’s economic development and improve individuals’ quality of life. As a result, people in these cities have invariably developed a sense that the purpose of investing in leisure is to learn leisure skills. This result is consistent with the literature [12,13].

In addition, an analysis of the differences in perceptions of leisure values by place of residence reveals that residents in third-tier cities believe that the most important purpose of investing in leisure is to increase opportunities for interpersonal interaction. We believe that third-tier cities have already started urban construction and expect to use new industries, such as leisure and tourism, to drive economic development. Therefore, local residents invariably expect to use leisure to increase opportunities for interpersonal interaction, raise awareness of local industries, and promote personal and local industry development. Thus, residents in third-tier cities develop the awareness that the purpose of investing in leisure is to increase interpersonal interactions. This result is consistent with the literature [39,69].

Summing up the above reasoning, we believe that the differences in the scale of industrial development and demand in different cities, as well as the differences in local customs and people’s life patterns, lead to differences in people’s purpose and demand for leisure. This is the main reason why people from different places of origin have different perceptions of leisure values, even if they are currently working or developing in the same city. These results are inconsistent with hypothesis 2 of the study.

5.1.3. Job-Seeking and Workplace Risk Perception

The third step was to analyze the public’s perceptions on job-seeking and employment risks. The analysis revealed that the participants perceived adequate treatment and connections as the main consideration during a job search. We believe that regardless of the size of the city of origin, the main purpose of job hunting is to obtain sufficient resources through employment to improve one’s quality of life and family’s financial situation. Therefore, the public has invariably developed a sense of wanting to expand their network and obtain a satisfactory salary through job hunting. This result is consistent with the literature [52,53,54,55,56,57,58].

Then, the main consideration for first-tier, second-tier, and fourth-tier city residents is whether the salary package is sufficient to alleviate the financial burden of their families and improve their quality of life. We believe that although second-tier cities are well developed, they have a high level of consumption and require sufficient salary income to meet personal and family consumption needs. In addition, due to the lack of development decisions in fourth-tier cities, local industries and economic incomes are low. With low personal income in the long run, people want more resources to improve their quality of life. Therefore, people in these cities have developed a sense of getting a high salary to reduce their family’s financial burden and improve their livelihood. This result is consistent with the literature [52,56,57,58].

Furthermore, the main considerations for residents of new first-tier cities are whether their salaries are sufficient, whether they have job security, and whether they can reduce the financial burden of their families. In our opinion, new first-tier cities have been deliberately promoted by policies to attract large corporate investments, rapidly improve urban construction, and raise their level of economic development. However, the cost of living and consumption has skyrocketed, and the limited income from work has not helped to improve the current economic situation of many individuals and families. As a result, local people have developed an awareness of the need to find well-paying and secure jobs in order to reduce their family’s financial burden. This result is consistent with the literature [52,55,56].

Next, the main consideration for third-tier residents is whether they can gain professional knowledge, improve their quality of life, and reduce the financial burden of their families. We believe that although there are still some development decisions to be made in third-tier cities, they are already at an initial stage of economic development, and there are many opportunities for local tourism and industry developers. As a result, residents want to invest or start their own businesses by gaining the necessary expertise to generate sufficient income to improve their economic situation. Therefore, local people in these cities have developed a sense of seeking employment to acquire entrepreneurial knowledge to improve their quality of life and family financial burden. This result is consistent with the literature [55,56].

In addition, fifth-tier city residents’ main considerations are whether they have job security, access to a wide range of contacts, and adequate salaries to ease the financial burden of their families. In our opinion, most fifth-tier cities are located in remote mountainous areas, and their main industries are mainly primary industries, with low economic and living standards and a lack of supplies. As a result, people in these cities have long been unable to secure their livelihoods and have a low quality of life. Local people actively seek stable jobs in exchange for goods to improve their personal or family quality of life. Therefore, local residents believe that employment should be a priority for them and that they should be able to gain connections and salaries to ultimately reduce the financial burden of their families. This result is consistent with the literature [55,56].

Finally, we analyzed the differences in the perceptions of job-seeking risks among people in different places of residence. The analysis showed that third-tier city residents believe that gaining professional knowledge and connections during the job search process is more beneficial. We believe third-tier cities have the foundation for reform and development, but there are few foreign-invested enterprises, and the local industries and economic resources are diversified and highly developable. As a result, local residents are eager to learn professional skills, actively expand their networks, and look forward to gaining wealth through entrepreneurship. Therefore, local people have developed a sense that gaining professional knowledge and connections is the key to finding a job. This result is consistent with the literature [58].

The fourth step was to analyze the public’s perceptions on workplace risks. The analysis revealed that the public considers physical strength and workload as the main considerations in their workplace. We believe the COVID-19 epidemic and other work risks are high, and industries are shrinking in size and manpower. In order to preserve their development energy, most companies are laying off a large number of employees, which indirectly increases the workload of the remaining employees. As a result, most people have developed an awareness that their physical burden and workload are the main considerations in the workplace during their tenure. This result is consistent with the literature [52,59].

However, first-tier city residents cite work pressure as a major consideration and are concerned about the potential impact of foreign immigrants on their existing lifestyles. We believe there is an oversupply of workers and job vacancies in first-tier cities, and the high level of professionalism and skills of foreign job seekers, coupled with the fast pace of life, leads to high levels of competitive work pressure. This can easily lead to a sense of pressure in the workplace and a sense of nervousness and anxiety. As a result, people are worried about job stress in their workplace and the emergence of new job seekers. This result is consistent with the literature [52,60].

Next, second-tier city residents cite competitive pressures as a major consideration and are concerned about the potential impact of out-of-state migration on local residents’ lifestyles. In our opinion, second-tier cities have a high scale of development, diversified industries, sufficient manpower demand, human resources, and business opportunities. However, relatively speaking, the competition in workplace is high, and the pressure to find jobs is high. In addition to facing competitors in the same cities and enterprises, local residents also have to worry about the challenges of job seekers from other cities. As a result, local people are worried about the challenge presented by foreign job seekers to their existing life and work patterns and the pressure on their existing workplace. This result is consistent with the literature [60].

In addition, the main considerations are whether residents of new first-tier cities think their workload will increase and whether their health will be affected. We believe that new first-tier cities are rapidly increasing the scale of urban construction and development, driven by national development policies and local government administrative resources. This affects the management decisions of local public and private enterprises or government agencies. As a result, in order to fulfill development decisions, each organization adjusts their existing management decisions and strengthens their staff performance indicators. Consequently, the workload of local people increases, and they have no time to maintain their physical and mental health. Therefore, local residents perceive that current work pressure comes from the high workload and associated health effects. This result is consistent with the literature [52,60].

The participants of third-tier cities cited increased workload and scope of work as major considerations. We believe that, as developing cities, local governments and corporate organizations are looking for continuous improvement in their management strategies to enhance urban development effectiveness. As a result, government agencies and enterprises set too high-performance standards for their grassroots employees, resulting in increased workload and scope of work for local people. Consequently, when local residents face employment pressure, they are subconsciously concerned about increased workload and scope of their personal business. This result is consistent with the literature [60,61].

In addition, the major considerations of the residents in fourth-tier cities are whether their workload would become heavier and whether their health would be affected. We believe that although fourth-tier cities have been gradually reformed, they have been living on agriculture for a long time, and local public construction and development decisions have not been well developed. Even though these cities have exploitable tourism resources, they are still unable to make proper plans to effectively lead local people toward industrial reform and promote the effects of local economic development. As a result, their residents may not be able to adapt to the industrial development structure of a developed city and its living and working behaviors, as they have retained their farming behavior and mindset for a long time. Therefore, local residents have concerns about the business volume and personal health of their current jobs. This result is consistent with the literature [52,53].

Finally, the residents of fifth-tier cities consider the increase in workload to be the main consideration and are concerned that job seekers from outside the city will cause them to live or work in a disruptive manner. We believe that because fifth-tier cities have long been farming-based, industrial development decisions have not yet been reformed. As a result, people have become accustomed to the existing lifestyle and mindset. As a result, local people think that a change in workload is something to worry about during employment. Consequently, local people are worried that current work environment will not adjust the workload, and they are even worried that foreign workers will replace their current jobs. This result is consistent with the literature [60,61].

In summary, we believe that the differences in performance assessment of employees by enterprises and related organizations, as well as lifestyles and mindsets developed over a long period of time, have led to differences in people’s perceptions of job and employment risks due to different urban construction and industrial development. As a result, people have different standards of job search and employment risk perceptions. This is the main reason why people from different places of origin may have different perceptions of job search and employment risks when working or developing in the same city. The above results are not consistent with hypothesis 3 of the study.

5.2. The Effects of Life Attitudes, Leisure Values, and Workplace Risks on the Effectiveness of Urban Development and Well-Being

5.2.1. Analysis of the Correlation between Life Attitudes and Urban Development and Well-Being

First, it was found that attitudes toward life positively and significantly affected urban development and happiness (p < 0.05). Among them, economic development and improved quality of life had the greatest effect. This result is consistent with the literature [76,77,78,79,80,81] and confirms hypothesis 4.

It is inferred that attitudes toward life are a reflection of people’s awareness of their social environment and culture [18]. It is a concept developed in childhood and is difficult to change [46]. We believe that when the public has a positive attitude toward life and participates in urban development, it is a reflection of a positive work attitude and enthusiastic life behavior. This helps governments or enterprises make good implementation of development decisions, which also helps marine cities to build a safe living environment, promote economic development, and enhance the sense of well-being. Therefore, this is the main reason why life attitudes can positively impact a city’s economic development and improve people’s quality of life and happiness.

5.2.2. Analysis of the Correlation between Leisure Values and Urban Development and Happiness

Next, it was found that leisure values positively and significantly affected urban development and happiness (p < 0.05). Economic development and improvement of quality of life had the greatest influence. This result is consistent with the literature [76,77,78,79,80,81] and confirms the validity of hypothesis 5.

It is inferred that values are the judgments and behavioral guidelines that reflect people’s ability to perform activities [49], and leisure values are the personal moral and behavioral norms that highlight people’s perceptions of or engagement in leisure [51]. We believe that when the public has positive values and develops positive moral values and behaviors in life or leisure, they will be able to make judgments and behaviors that are consistent with current social values and morals, which may help the government to promote economic development strategies, improve urban public infrastructure, create a good social atmosphere, enhance the public’s trust in the government, and increase their sense of well-being. Therefore, this is the main reason why leisure values can positively impact the economic development of cities and improve people’s quality of life and happiness.

5.2.3. Analysis of the Correlation between Job-Seeking and Employment Risk Perceptions and Urban Development and Happiness

The analysis found that job-seeking and employment risk perceptions positively and significantly affected urban development and happiness (p < 0.05). Among them, job-seeking conditions, job-seeking goals, job competition, and job pressure influenced economic development and quality of life. Job search expectations greatly affected environmental development and life quality improvement. This result is inconsistent with the literature [64,66,67,71] and confirms that hypothesis 6 is invalid.

It is inferred that both job search and employment are expected to provide people with resources and job security for the purpose of improving their personal quality of life and family financial hardship [19]. However, risk usually arises from people’s exposure to or involvement with a person, event, or thing that cannot be predicted or avoided [55]. Therefore, people tend to use their past life experiences or known life knowledge to make judgments and engage in further behaviors [59]. Therefore, we believe that when people have the right attitude toward life, positive values, and positive attitudes toward job seeking and employment, they will be able to respond to work performance and results, which helps enterprises make profits and promote the city’s profitability and decision-making to achieve the goal of sustainable urban economic development and a happy city.

Furthermore, job seeking and employment are one of the main channels for people to obtain job security, obtain benefits and resources, improve social status, and improve their quality of life. Therefore, people hope to have a stable and safe working environment and living space, with stable jobs and resources, to improve their quality of life. Therefore, the higher the expectations of job seekers, the more they expect their urban environment to be well developed, and the more they can increase their trust in urban development and their sense of happiness. We believe that this is the main reason why job-seeking and employment risks have an impact on urban development and happiness.

6. Conclusions

This study found that the scale of industrial development, market, and social development needs of different cities lead to different attitudes toward life, leisure values, and perceptions of job-seeking and employment risks. However, if people have positive attitudes toward life, positive leisure values, and correct attitudes toward job hunting and employment, they will contribute to the economic and environmental development of their city and improve their quality of life and sense of well-being. Moreover, if people have a defective background in life, although they may have positive life and work behaviors, they may also have strong life and work attitudes, which can lead to friction with others in their lives and in the workplace, which can be detrimental to the development of businesses and cities. Conversely, the better the background of people’s lives and family upbringing, the more complete their learning experiences, and the richer their experiences, the more likely they are to develop positive attitudes toward life, establish correct leisure values, and develop a positive attitude toward work and employment. This is conducive to promoting the sustainable economic development of ocean cities and enhancing people’s sense of well-being.

6.1. About Government and Business

A government or business organization should establish a credible policy for attracting talent, improve the benefits and welfare of foreign talents, and assist them in integrating into the local culture. It is also necessary to provide stable funding for the development of enterprises to secure employment opportunities for local residents.

6.2. About Educational Institutions and Citizens

The following is recommended: establish healthy leisure values and regulate work–life stress; encourage the planning of adequate recreational sports to meet the conditions of local workforce; develop a spirit of mutual cooperation and altruism to shape proper life attitudes; enhance personal and professional skills to secure employment opportunities; and explore current state of personal knowledge and skills to match ideal job opportunities.

6.3. Research Limitations and Recommendations for Follow-Up Studies

Although this manuscript discusses the influence of perceptions of attitudes toward life, leisure values, job-seeking risk, and employment risk on urban development and happiness among residents in the same cities and from different places of residence. However, this study have limitations due to the lack of funding, as well as the lack of human and material resources, and the limitation of using Sanya city as the case study. The findings of this study are likely to be flawed or inadequate. Therefore, we suggest extending the survey to other cities in China. It is also possible to analyze the perceptions of other countries or ethnic groups on the same issues. Various research methods, sampling methods, and analytical statistical methods could be applied to validate the survey results. Additionally, future research could investigate the perceptions of people of different genders, occupations, or education levels.