Mapping
the Mystery
of Humanity
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How is it possible for people to flourish? What causes people in some countries to flourish, while others don’t? What might change if we knew? The Global Flourishing Study promises to take the most pointed look at human flourishing yet — attempting to map the topography of the human spirit not unlike how science has cracked the DNA code.
We believe understanding human flourishing can fundamentally change the way we live and how we interact.
A wealth of discovery is waiting.
The launch of the Global Flourishing Study culminates four years of collaboration among more than 40 leading experts from four esteemed organizations: Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program, the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, the Center for Open Science, and Gallup, the worldwide authority in public polling.
Spanning the disciplines of sociology, psychology, epidemiology, economics, history, philosophy, and theology, the team’s combined expertise has yielded one of the most comprehensive studies of human existence ever undertaken — 200,000 participants that will provide nationally representative samples of 20+ geographically and culturally diverse populations from across the globe.
Not just gathering data from these participants once, the Global Flourishing Study is following the same people as they go about their lives over the course of five years. The result will be longitudinal data that can open new opportunities to analyze and understand the causes–not just correlations–of flourishing more deeply than ever before.
Gain free online access to Global Flourishing Study data by pre registering at the Center for Open Science. The first wave of data is available now, providing an unprecedented resource for researchers, journalists, and educators around the world.
The Global Flourishing Study is grounded in a broadly inclusive understanding of what it means to flourish: living in a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good.
Correspondingly, the Global Flourishing Study delves deep into six domains of flourishing that broadly shared across countries and cultures:
– Overall, how satisfied are you with life as a whole these days?
– In general, how happy or unhappy do you usually feel?
– In general, how would you rate your physical health?
– How would you rate your overall mental health?
– Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
– I understand my purpose in life.
– I always act to promote good in all circumstances, even in difficult and challenging situations.
– I am always able to give up some happiness now for greater happiness later.
– I am content with my friendships and relationships.
– My relationships are as satisfying as I would want them to be.
– How often do you worry about being able to meet normal monthly living expenses?
– How often do you worry about safety, food, or housing?
The questionnaire, administered online, over the phone, or in person, consists of over 60 extensively evaluated and pretested questions, ensuring that the data produced will meet researchers’ highest standards for relevance and reliability. Topics span general happiness and well-being, health and personal habits, relationships and community, personality and character, education and employment, financial well-being, religiosity or spirituality, demographic information, and more.
Readministered on an annual basis, the empirically robust findings that emerge can help change the conversation around human flourishing, encouraging future endeavors and collaborations that have the potential to benefit individuals and entire communities worldwide.