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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups
PLoS One, Vol.20(1), pp.1-34
2025
PMID: 39841629
Abstract
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that configural and metric invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional SWLS model has universal applicability. Full scalar invariance was achieved across gender identities and age groups. Based on alignment optimisation methods, partial scalar invariance was achieved across all but three national groups and across all languages represented in the BINS. There were large differences in latent SWLS means across nations and languages, but negligible-to-small differences across gender identities and age groups. Across nations, greater life satisfaction was significantly associated with greater financial security and being in a committed relationship or married. The results of this study suggest that the SWLS largely assesses a common unidimensional construct of life satisfaction irrespective of respondent characteristics (i.e., national group, gender identities, and age group) or survey presentation (i.e., survey language). This has important implications for the assessment of life satisfaction across nations and provides information that will be useful for practitioners aiming to promote subjective well-being internationally.
Details
- Title
- Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups
- Authors
- Viren Swami (Corresponding Author) - Anglia Ruskin UniversityStefan Stieger - Karl Landsteiner University of Health SciencesMartin Voracek - University of ViennaToivo Aavik - University of TartuHamed Abdollahpour Ranjbar - Koç UniversitySulaiman Olanrewaju Adebayo - Ekiti State UniversityReza Afhami - Tarbiat Modares UniversityOli Ahmed - University of ChittagongAnnie Aimé - Université du Québec en OutaouaisMarwan Akel - Lebanese International UniversityHussam Al Halbusi - Ahmed Bin Mohammed Military CollegeGeorge Alexias - Panteion UniversityKhawla F Ali - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - BahrainNursel Alp-Dal - Munzur UniversityAnas B Alsalhani - Sion CollegeSara Álvarez-Solas - Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAMAna Carolina Soares Amaral - Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Minas GeraisSonny Andrianto - Islamic University of IndonesiaTrefor Aspden - Aberystwyth UniversityMarios Argyrides - Neapolis University PafosJohn Jamir Benzon R Aruta - De La Salle UniversityStephen Atkin - Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - BahrainOlusola Ayandele - University of IbadanMigle Baceviciene - Klaipėda UniversityRadvan Bahbouh - Charles UniversityAndrea Ballesio - Sapienza University of RomeDavid Barron - Heriot-Watt University MalaysiaAshleigh Bellard - Liverpool John Moores UniversitySóley Sesselja Bender - University of IcelandKerime Derya Beydaǧ - Yalova UniversityGorana Birovljević - University of RijekaMarie-Ève Blackburn - Cégep de JonquièreTeresita Borja-Alvarez - Universidad San Francisco de QuitoJoanna Borowiec - University School of Physical Education in KrakówMiroslava Bozogáňová - University of PrešovSolfrid Bratland-Sanda - University of South-Eastern NorwayMatthew H E M Browning - Clemson UniversityAnna Brytek-Matera - University of WrocławMarina Burakova - Aix-Marseille UniversitéYeliz Çakır-Koçak - Bartin UniversityPablo Camacho - CentroSan Isidoro University Center, Seville, SpainVittorio Emanuele Camilleri - University of MaltaValentina Cazzato - Liverpool John Moores UniversitySilvia Cerea - University of PaduaApitchaya Chaiwutikornwanich - Chulalongkorn UniversityTrawin Chaleeraktrakoon - Thammasat UniversityTim Chambers - Deakin UniversityQing-Wei Chen - South China Normal UniversityXin Chen - New York UniversityChin-Lung Chien - Soochow UniversityPhatthanakit Chobthamkit - Thammasat UniversityBovornpot Choompunuch - Mahasarakham UniversityEmilio J Compte - Adolfo Ibáñez UniversityJennifer Corrigan - University College CorkGetrude Cosmas - Universiti of Malaysia SabahRichard G Cowden - Harvard University PressKamila Czepczor-Bernat - Medical University of SilesiaMarcin Czub - University of WrocławWanderson Roberto da Silva - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)Mahboubeh Dadfar - Iran University of Medical SciencesSimon E Dalley - University of GroningenLionel Dany - Aix-Marseille UniversitéJesus Alfonso D Datu - University of Hong KongPedro Henrique Berbert de Carvalho - Universidade Federal de Juiz de ForaGabriel Lins de Holanda Coelho - University College CorkAvila Odia S De Jesus - De La Salle UniversitySonia Harzallah Debbabi - University of SousseSandesh Dhakal - Tribhuvan UniversityFrancesca Di Bernardo - University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"Donka D Dimitrova - Medical University PlovdivJacinthe Dion - Université du Québec à Trois-RivièresBarnaby Dixson - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - PsychologyStacey M Donofrio - University of GroningenMarius Drysch - Ruhr University BochumHongfei Du - Beijing Normal UniversityAngel M Dzhambov - Medical University PlovdivClaire El-Jor - Lebanese American UniversityVioleta Enea - Alexandru Ioan Cuza UniversityMehmet Eskin - Koç UniversityFarinaz Farbod - Alzahra UniversityLorleen Farrugia - University of MaltaLeonie Fian - University of ViennaMaryanne L Fisher - Saint Mary's UniversityMichał Folwarczny - Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of GalwayDavid A Frederick - Chapman UniversityMatthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz - Deakin UniversityAdrian Furnham - BI Norwegian Business SchoolAntonio Alías García - University of AlmeríaShulamit Geller - Academic College of Tel Aviv-YafoMarta Ghisi - University of PaduaAlireza Ghorbani - Payame Noor UniversityMaria Angeles Gomez Martinez - Universidad Pontificia de SalamancaSarah Gradidge - Anglia Ruskin UniversitySylvie Graf - Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of PsychologyCaterina Grano - Sapienza University of RomeGyöngyvér Gyene - Eötvös Loránd UniversitySouheil Hallit - Holy Spirit University of KaslikMotasem Hamdan - Al-Quds UniversityJonathan E Handelzalts - University of MichiganPaul H P Hanel - University of EssexSee article for complete list of authors (Author)Kate Mulgrew - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
- Publication details
- PLoS One, Vol.20(1), pp.1-34
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0313107
- ISSN
- 1932-6203
- PMID
- 39841629
- Copyright note
- © 2025 Swami et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
- Data Availability
- The BINS data, codebook, and our analytic codes are available on the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/kzq7w/.
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; Graduate Research School; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991097746002621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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