Rethinking National Well‐Being
Introducing a Measure of Wealth‐Adjusted Life Satisfaction in 116 Countries
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10901425 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mohsen Joshanloo (0000-0001-9350-6219, Department of Psychology Keimyung University Daegu South Korea, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 35-54 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Journal of Social Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0046-2772 • E-ISSN: 1099-0992 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ejsp.70023 |
| OpenAlex | W4414066243 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 70 |
National life satisfaction scores are commonly used to compare well‐being across countries. However, they do not adequately account for significant differences in objective living conditions between nations. This study introduces wealth‐adjusted life satisfaction (WALS), a novel measure that captures how effectively countries convert economic resources into subjective well‐being. Using Gallup World Poll data from 116 countries, WALS was computed by residualizing national life satisfaction on gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Random Forest and cluster analyses revealed key predictors of WALS and identified distinct country clusters, respectively. Notably, some lower‐income countries (e.g., Nicaragua and Kyrgyzstan) scored high on WALS, whereas some high‐income countries (e.g., Bahrain and Japan) scored low. Key predictors of WALS include perceived job quality, experiences of enjoyment and autonomy, greater involvement in volunteering and greater opportunities for forming friendships. A distinct cluster of low‐wealth, high‐WALS countries was identified, characterized by collectivist and religious values, relatively high perceived job quality and strong prosocial engagement
Cluster (spacecraft) · Collectivism · Developing country · Life satisfaction · Product (mathematics) · Prosocial behavior · Quality of life (healthcare) · Subjective well-being · Cultural Differences and Values · Employment and Welfare Studies · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Collectivism and coping
Subjective well‐being and human welfare around the world as reflected in the Gallup World Poll
Algorithm as 136
A random forest guided tour
The OECD Better Life Initiative
Random Forests for Classification in Ecology
The relationship between cultural tightness–looseness and Covid-19 cases and deaths
MissForest—non-parametric missing value imputation for mixed-type data
Values that Underlie and Undermine Well–Being
Ranger
Personality, Culture, and Subjective Well-Being
Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures
Pattern of Human Concerns
What Makes People Happy? Evidence from International Data
Cross-Cultural Analysis
The Happiness-Economic Well-Being Nexus
Thirteen Years of Subjective Well-Being
Networks of Well-being in the Global South
Re-understanding well-being in the Global South
A New Index of Perceived Job Quality in 116 Countries
Measuring the Rule of Law
The role of positive and negative emotions in life satisfaction judgment across nations
Optimal human functioning around the world
The religion paradox
Advances in subjective well-being research
A Theory of Cultural Value Orientations
Against Happiness
| Highly cited | No |
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