A Collaborative Inquiry into Human Well-Being
A Global Journey to Understand What It Means to Flourish
The Global Flourishing Study unites scholars and institutions worldwide to explore what it means to flourish. This interdisciplinary initiative examines well-being across cultures and life experiences, providing insights into the factors that drive human flourishing. Through collaboration, the study aims to inform policies and practices that promote global well-being.
Tracking Flourishing Across Continents
This initiative will survey approximately 200,000 individuals across 20+ countries spanning every continent, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Sweden, the UK, and the US. Our researchers will ensure representative population sampling and collect data annually from the same participants to track changes over time.
The Questions That Guide Us
Our research explores what it truly means to flourish by asking participants about the key areas that shape well-being—health, relationships, purpose, spirituality, and resilience. By gathering insights from diverse experiences, we aim to uncover how these factors contribute to flourishing across the globe.
Back to Domains
Meaning & Purpose
Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile? Do you understand your purpose in life?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict sense of purpose/meaning in adulthood?
- How do mean levels of sense of purpose/meaning in life ordered across different countries vary?
- How does a sense of purpose/meaning in life vary across different demographic categories such as age, gender, marital status, employment, religious service attendance, education, and immigration status?
Back to Domains
Mental & Physical Health
In general, how would you rate your physical health? How would you rate your overall mental health?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict self-rated physical health in adulthood?
- How are mean levels of self-rated mental health ordered across different countries?
- How are mean levels of self-rated physical health ordered across different countries?
- How does self-rated physical health vary across different demographic categories such as age, gender, marital status, employment, religious service attendance, education, and immigration status?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict daily smoking, drinking, or exercise in adulthood?
Back to Domains
Character & Virtue
Do you act to promote good in all circumstances, even in difficult and challenging situations? Are you able to give up some happiness now for greater happiness later?
- How are mean levels of an orientation to promote good ordered across different countries?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict an orientation to promote good in adulthood?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict charitable giving/helping?
- How does the proportion endorsing (Y) to charitable giving/helping vary across different countries?
Back to Domains
Happiness & Life Satisfaction
Overall, how satisfied are you with life as a whole these days? In general, how happy or unhappy do you usually feel?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict happiness in adulthood?
- How does life satisfaction/life evaluation vary across different demographic categories such as age, gender, marital status, employment, religious service attendance, education, and immigration status?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict life satisfaction in adulthood?
Back to Domains
Financial & Material Stability
How often do you worry about being able to meet normal monthly living expenses? How often do you worry about safety, food, or housing?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict Financial/Material Worry in adulthood?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict subjective financial well-being in adulthood?
- How does subjective financial well-being vary across different demographic categories such as age, gender, marital status, employment, religious service attendance, education, and immigration status?
Back to Domains
Close Social Relationships
Are you content with your friendships and relationships? Are your relationships as satisfying as you want them to be?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict social relationship quality in adulthood?
- How do mean levels of social support order across different countries?
- How does the proportion endorsing (Y) to having an intimate friend vary across different countries?
- How do levels of social support vary across different demographic categories such as age, gender, marital status, employment, education, and immigration status?
- How do different aspects of a child’s upbringing predict social support and having an intimate friend in adulthood?
- How do mean levels of social support order across different countries?
Meet Our Global Research Team
With backgrounds in psychology, sociology, economics, and more, our team combines their expertise to approach the study from multiple perspectives. Each member is committed to advancing our understanding of well-being and contributing to a global dialogue on what it means to live a fulfilling life.
Co-Directors
Byron R. Johnson
Baylor University, Institute for Studies of Religion/Sociology
Tyler VanderWeele
Harvard University, Epidemiology / Biostatistics
Global Research Team
Piotr T. Bialowolski
Kozminski University (Poland), Economics
Rebecca Bonhag
Baylor University, Sociology
Thomas Breedlove
Baylor University, Theology
Matt Bradshaw
Baylor University, Sociology
Israel
Pedro A. De La Rosa
University of Navarra / Harvard University, Epidemiology
Noémie Le Pertel
Harvard University, Business
Dorota Maria Weziak-Bialowolska
Kozminski University (Poland), Economics/Sociology
Poland
Ying Chen
Harvard University, Epidemiology
Hayami Koga
Harvard University, Epidemiology
Koichiro Shiba
Boston University, Epidemiology
Jennifer Wortham
Harvard University, Public Health
Noah Padgett
Harvard University, Epidemiology
Victor Counted
Regent University, Psychology
Richard Cowden
Harvard University, Psychology
South Africa
Eric Kim
University of British Columbia, Psychology
Tim Lomas
Harvard University, Psychology
Julia Nakamura
University of British Columbia, Psychology
Sakurako Okuzono
Harvard University, Epidemiology
Lucía Macchia
University of London City, Psychology/Economics
James L. Ritche-Dunham
University of Texas-Austin / Harvard University , Business/Economics
Kate Long
Harvard University, Public Health
Renae Wilkinson
Harvard University, Sociology
Blake Victor Kent
Westmont College, Sociology
Brendan Case
Harvard University, Theology
Craig Gundersen
Baylor University, Economics
Sung Joon Jang
Baylor University, Sociology
Thomas Kidd
Baylor University, History
Matthew T. Lee
Baylor University/ Harvard University , Sociology
George Yancey
Baylor University , Sociology
Jeff Levin
Baylor University, Epidemiology / Medical Humanities
John Ssozi
Baylor University, Economics
Nikolitsa Grigoropoulou
University of Bremen (Germany), Sociology
Robert Woodberry
Baylor University, Sociology
Laura Upenieks
Baylor University , Sociology
Kathryn A. Johnson A. Johnson
Arizona State University, Psychology
Christos Makridis
Stanford U. / Arizona State U. / University of Nicosia, Economics
W. Bradford Wilcox
University of Virginia, Sociology
Wendy Wang
Institute for Family Studies, Sociology
Zhuo Job Chen
University of North Carolina- Charlotte, Nursing / Psychology
Sunsuke (Shun) Managi
Kyushu University, Economics
Young-Il Kim
George Fox University, Sociology
Cristina Gibson
Pepperdine University, Psychology/Organizational Studies
Alan Piper
Leeds University, Economics
Jessica Benfer
Meros Center, Health Services and Policy
Nicholas Norman-Krause
Belmont University, Theology
Jason Paltzer
The Meros Center, Epidemiology
Chukwuemeka Okafor
UT Health San Antonio, Epidemiology
Alex Fogleman
Baylor University, Theology
Research Advisory Board
Laura D. Kubzansky
Harvard University, Professor/ Director of the Society and Health Laboratory at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Alexander Moreira-Almeida
Professor at UFJF / Director of Research Center in Spirituality and Health, Brazil / Chair of WPA Section on Religion, Spirituality & Psychiatry
Brazil
Yoshiki Ishikawa
Public Health Researcher / Science Journalist
Japan
Vikram Patel
Professor at Harvard Medical School / co-founder of Sangath
India
Jeffrey Sachs
Professor of economics @ Columbia & senior UN advisor
USA
Alonzo Plough
VP of research, evaluation & learning/ chief science officer at RWJF /Clinical prof of health services, U of Washington
USA
Susan Prescott
Professor of paediatrics at U of Western Australia /writer
Australia
Yunfeng Lu
Professor of sociology/ Center for Law & Religion Studies
China
Mwenda Ntarangwi
CEO, Commission for University Education
Kenya
Veronica Benett Martinez
Researcher / Professor at Pompeu Fabra University
Spain
Joseph Bulbulia
Professor, University of Auckland
New Zealand
Mohammed Mohammed
Senior Program Officer, Fetzer Institute
USA
Heather Dill
President, John M. Templeton Foundation
USA
Tyler Norris
Board Chair of Naropa University and co-Chair of the CEO Alliance for Mental Health
USA
Kate Shellnutt
Christianity Today
USA
Neha Sahgal
Assoc. Dir. Research, Pew Research Center
USA
Country-Specific Satellite Research Partners
A specially selected team of scholars in and/or from the 22 countries are leading a series of country-specific papers, in collaboration with members of the core GFS team, with one paper for each of the 22 countries. Work on the papers began in mid-2024, and these papers will be published later in 2025 as part of a special edition of the International Journal of Wellbeing. The following is a provisional list of authors for each country (with the list subject to revision and updating with new additional co-authors being brought on board).
Aaron Jarden
Australia/Hong Kong
Lindsay Oades
Australia
Dan Loton
Australia
Claudia Vanney
Argentina
Peggy Kern
Australia
Lanxi Huang
Australia/Hong Kong
Mesurado Belen
Argentina
Fitz Herbert Arturo
Argentina
Jean Natividade
Brazil
Claudia Hofheinz Giacomoni
Brazil
Ahmed Moustafa
Egypt
Sebastian Sattler
Germany
Maike Ritzer
Germany
Jia-Qi Xu
Hong Kong
Maggie Yue Zhao
Hong Kong
Hanchao Hou
Hong Kong
Shanmukh Kamble
India
Mahimna Vyas
India
Anjana Gauri Pendyala
India
Ni Made Taganing Kurniati
Indonesia
Dona Eka Putri
Indonesia
Jeff Levin
Israel
Yukiko Uchida
Japan
Joonha Park
Japan
Alexander Kirchner-Häusler
Japan
Mohsen Joshanloo
Japan
Nathan Chiroma
Kenya
Enrique Roberto Tamés Muñoz
Mexico
Alberto Hernández Baqueiro
Mexico
Manuel Cebral Loureda
Mexico
Angel Gustavo López Montiel
Mexico
Jim Ritchie-Dunham
Mexico/Spain
Adibe Aaron Agbo
Nigeria
Celine Socrates
Philippines
Eunice Contreras
Philippines
Kuba Krys
Poland
Anna Zalewska
Poland
Verónica Fernández Espinosa
Spain
Miguel Ángel Rumayor Fernández
Spain
Isabel Ortiz
Spain
David Dinwoodie
Spain
Angelina Wilson Fadiji
South Africa
Jurgen Hendriks
South Africa
Richard Cowden
Harvard University, Psychology
South Africa
Oscar Kjell
Sweden
August Nilsson
Sweden
Aleefia Somji
Tanzania
Ayse Yemiscigli
Turkey
Dennis Snower
UK/US
Fernanda Ortega
UK/US