Proceedings of the 24th Malaysia-Indonesia International Conference on Economics, Management, and Accounting (The 24th MIICEMA) in conjunction with The 9th Sriwijaya Economics, Accounting, and Business Conference (The 9th SEABC) (MIICEMA-SEABC 2025)

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Social ⁠Well-Being in Context: Applying Maslow’s Theory to the Malay Community

Authors
Syamimi Waznah Hamdon1, Harliana Halim1, *, Fauziah Ani1
1Department of Social Sciences, Centre for General Studies and Co-curricular, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn, Johor, Malaysia
*Corresponding author. Email: harliana@uthm.edu.my
Corresponding Author
Harliana Halim
Available Online 23 February 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_34How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Social well-being; low-income; Malaysia 14th general election; Malays; in-depth interview; quality of life; Islam; special privileges; economy; education
Abstract

This study examines the concept of social well-being among the low-income Malay Muslim community in Malaysia. Recognizing the importance of understanding community-based well-being for the formulation of responsive and inclusive policies, this article addresses a gap in existing scholarship by focusing on the year of 2018-2020. Utilizing a qualitative methodology, the study analyzes data from in-depth interviews with six members of the low-income Malay Muslim community and two subject-matter experts. Thematic analysis, supported by triangulation, was employed to identify key dimensions of social well-being as experienced by the target group. Maslow’s theory of needs provides the theoretical framework for the analysis. The findings reveal five core themes central to social well-being in this context: (1) access to adequate resources for basic needs, (2) the safeguarding of Islam, (3) the preservation of Malay special rights, (4) the promotion of harmonious interethnic relations, and (5) access to quality education. These insights contribute to a more nuanced understanding of social well-being within a multi-ethnic and democratic society, offering implications for policy development and social cohesion in Malaysia.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 24th Malaysia-Indonesia International Conference on Economics, Management, and Accounting (The 24th MIICEMA) in conjunction with The 9th Sriwijaya Economics, Accounting, and Business Conference (The 9th SEABC) (MIICEMA-SEABC 2025)
Series
Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research
Publication Date
23 February 2026
ISBN
978-94-6463-994-0
ISSN
2352-5428
DOI
10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_34How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Syamimi Waznah Hamdon
AU  - Harliana Halim
AU  - Fauziah Ani
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/23
TI  - Social ⁠Well-Being in Context: Applying Maslow’s Theory to the Malay Community
BT  - Proceedings of the 24th Malaysia-Indonesia International Conference on Economics, Management, and Accounting (The 24th MIICEMA) in conjunction with The 9th Sriwijaya Economics, Accounting, and Business Conference (The 9th SEABC) (MIICEMA-SEABC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 492
EP  - 504
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_34
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-994-0_34
ID  - Hamdon2026
ER  -