In order to better understand the relationship between leisure and life satisfaction, the paper evaluates the life satisfaction of 768 residents in Nanshan District, Shenzhen with the two related theories of activity participation theory and demand theory. The result shows that both the theories have certain practical value. The stepwise regression result shows that compared with activity participation theory, demand theory may better reflect the relationship between leisure and life satisfaction. It is discovered that only when the specific demands are met at a relatively high or low degree can leisure activity participation correlate with life satisfaction. |