Enjoying the Night’s Splendor: Exploring the Effect of Urban Residents’ Nighttime Leisure Involvement on Subjective Well-Being: Symmetric and Asymmetric Analysis

In contrast to daytime leisure, the distinctive experiences of nighttime leisure and their effects on individuals' subjective well-being remain inadequately examined. This study selects Chongqing as the research subject and uses 400 valid survey responses, applying Structural Equation Modeling (symmetric approach) and Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (asymmetric approach) to examine the symmetric and asymmetric impacts of nighttime leisure involvement on subjective well-being. The findings reveal the mediating roles of leisure experience and leisure benefits between nighttime leisure involvement and subjective well-being, while also identifying the significant moderating effect of the nighttime ambiance in this process. Additionally, the study identifies three combination pathways that promote high levels of subjective well-being in nighttime leisure contexts. This research not only enriches the theoretical literature on nighttime leisure but also provides new perspectives and strategies for optimizing the development of urban nighttime economies.