Perceptions of human well-being across diverse respondents and landscapes in a mountain-basin system, China

- Subjective well-being was assessed through interviews in a mountain-basin area.
- The actualization process of human well-being is similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
- There were differences of well-being among different socio-demographic and landscapes characteristics.
- Linkages between human well-being and landscape has management and policy implications of sustainable well-being realization.

Human well-being is an important concept for human-nature interactions and affected by social, ecologic, and personal factors. There is increasing consensus about the importance of public perceptions of human well-being, but studies on this are still scarce. Here, we conducted 445 face-to-face interviews to assess subjective well-being across diverse respondents and landscapes in the Huailai mountain-basin system, China. The results suggest the actualization process of human well-being is similar to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. We found that mental health was disregarded by most respondents, while basic material for a good life was most valued. Moreover, our results show differences of well-being across different socio-demographic and landscapes characteristics. Apart from good social relations, elderly respondents had highest levels of human well-being in all other four dimensions; respondents from mountainous land with a high level of ecological conservation had the lowest level of well-being. We discuss the factors contribution to well-being and its implications for local management and policies. Understanding the implications of respondents and landscapes characteristics on human well-being can help managers to develop efficient and specific policies.