Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness
The mission of the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness is to build a rigorous and interdisciplinary science of positive health, happiness, and well-being with a focus on health equity, and to translate the science to influence practice and policy.
Kresge Building 6th Floor
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Measuring Well-being
This page includes more than 100 well-being measures and 20 datasets compiled by the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness.
The following resources are designed to help researchers and practitioners across disciplines begin and advance their work in well-being research:
- Interactive Well-being Measure Finder: Explore measures covering a wide range of well-being themes and topics, including happiness, spirituality, the neighborhood environment, urban planning, national welfare, and social connection among others.
- Well-being Datasets: Browse datasets from various countries that can be used to study and measure different aspects of well-being.
- Relevant Publications: Explore publications related to well-being measurement, research, and practice.
Disclaimer: Please note the measures and datasets provided in this repository were not created by and are not the property of the Center. If you are interested in using a measure or dataset, please contact the researchers who developed them.
About Well-being
According to the World Health Organization:
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
“Well-being is a positive state experienced by individuals and societies. Similar to health, it is a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic and environmental conditions. Well-being encompasses quality of life and the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose.”
Individual Well-being
Individual well-being is often characterized by an individual’s internal subjective assessment, based on cognitive judgments and affective reactions, of their life as a whole. Foundational concepts of individual well-being focus on two types: hedonic well-being emphasizes positive emotions or feelings such as happiness, whereas eudemonic well-being focuses on sense of purpose and meaning in life.
The assessment of individual well-being dominates the literature and has become more robust over time. Numerous scales have been developed for use in scientific studies to measure individuals’ subjective well-being across the life course, most often through self-reported survey questions. The field of psychometrics has emerged as a measurement framework and validation tool for the assessment of psychological constructs at the individual level of analysis.
Collective Well-being
While there is no single term or universal definition, experts across disciplines have highlighted the need to consider the social and contextual influences on individual well-being and the well-being of groups and communities. For this repository, collective well-being refers to the well-being of individual constituents and the shared social, environmental, economic, and political conditions of a group or community that enable all members to thrive and attain optimal health. Collective well-being extends beyond the well-being of individuals by accounting for the well-being of the context in which people live and the inherently social nature of individuals. A group or community may be defined by place or relational connections, and thus collective well-being may be measured across settings, including work organizations, school populations, and cultural or ethnic groups, in addition to neighborhoods and communities. (cite chapter)
Two dominant approaches are commonly used across disciplines to measure collective well-being. Aggregation refers to the summation or average of individual-level data to the group level for comparison across groups. Aggregate variables may include individual perceptions of personal well-being or group-level constructs, such as community trust or safety, which are then aggregated to the group level. Integral measurement refers to the use of variables measured directly at the group level that exist independently of individuals. Integral variables may include neighborhood crime rates, number of public amenities, or green space. Experts often advocate for a hybrid approach, combining aggregate and integral variables as well as subjective and objective data sources.Measuring Well-being by Themes
Measuring Well-being by Themes
A components approach divides well-being into domains and has been commonly adopted to facilitate practical measurement and the development of targeted interventions. We recognize that well-being can be distinguished across different domains or aspects of well-being, but also across various contexts and settings.
For the purposes of this repository, well-being is organized into 12 overarching themes representing domains of well-being (what) and contexts/settings (for whom/where) to help you identify an appropriate measure.
Please note that themes overlap and are not mutually exclusive. Some measures may address multiple domains of well-being or apply across different settings and contexts. You can select multiple themes to explore relevant measures and indicators. Each theme contains a list of specific topics to further clarify the focus of each measure.
Domains
How cultural, recreational and leisure experiences support health and well-being through meaningful connection, self-expression, sense of belonging or shared identity (Iso-Ahola & Baumeister, 2023).
How material wealth, economic opportunity, financial security, and access to resources contribute to the health and well-being of individuals and communities (Brüggen et al. 2017).
How citizens and leaders work together to support and maintain a healthy society through political empowerment, efficacy, trust in governance, or civic engagement among other forms of participation (Nikiporets-Takigawa & Avcinova, 2018).
How individuals experience positive emotions, a sense of meaning and purpose, and an overall sense of fulfillment in life (Hernandez et al. 2023).
How meaningful relationships and interactions between individuals, groups, organizations, and communities support health and well-being through social cohesion, collective efficacy, social capital, social participation and other forms of positive social interaction (Keyes, 1998).
How individuals and communities find meaning and purpose through values, beliefs, religion, or shared community practices (Ellison, 1983).
Settings
How cultural identity, connectedness, shared values, belonging, and relationships within a group supports the health and well-being of its members (Atkinson et al., 2020).
How the built (e.g. buildings, urban design) and natural environment (e.g., green spaces, air quality) support health and well-being of individuals and communities through access to nature, shared resources, and social connection, among other features (Lee, 2014; Nabaweesi et al., 2023).
The social, physical, and economic conditions of a local area that support health and well-being through social connections, clean and safe public spaces, public trust, and access to resources, among other supportive conditions (Sampson, 2003).
The overall well-being of a defined geographic area (from ZIP code or metropolitan area to a city, state, or nation) across economic, social and environmental dimensions among others (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OCED], n.d.).
How the school environment supports student and employee health and well-being through a positive school climate, sense of connection and belonging, social relationships, and other supportive conditions (Losada-Puente et al., 2024).
How the work environment supports employees’ health and well-being through strong leadership, social support, work engagement, job satisfaction, organizational policies, and other supportive practices and conditions (Barua, 2024).
Interactive Well-being Measure Finder
We present a collection of developed scales and indicators used to measure well-being across a range of disciplines. Use the interactive dashboard to quickly find relevant measures by filtering the results.
How to Use the Well-being Measures Finder
Well-being can be understood across different domains or aspects of well-being, as well as across various contexts and settings.
For this repository, measures are organized into 12 overarching themes based on:
- Domains: What area of well-being is being explored?
- Settings: Where or in what context does well-being occur?
Please note that themes overlap. Some measures may address multiple domains of well-being or apply across different settings. You can select multiple themes to explore relevant measures.
Topics represent more specific areas of well-being within each theme. Each theme includes a list of topics that provides additional detail about the focus of each measure.
You may also search measures directly by topic to find measures related to your specific area of focus.
We present a table of measures organized by measured name, citation and number of items to help you quickly find the information you need.
The table updates based on your selected themes and topics. You can view the total number of measures displayed, along with the filters currently applied. Use the search bar to search for keywords directly within the table. You can also filter measures by the number of items they contain by using the slider to set a minimum and maximum item count.
For additional information about a measure, hover over the information icon to view:
- Measure Name
- Citation
- Theme/Topic: The themes and topics associated with the measure
- Scope: Whether the measure focuses on individual or collective well-being. For more information about these concepts, please visit the Learn More About Well-being tab on the website.
- Data source: The source or method used to collect the data (i.e. survey, administrative/census indicators, systematic social observation, sensor data)
- Citation URL: A direct link to the source paper in which the measure was developed and/or validated
- Measure URL: A direct link to the complete list of measure items
Click on a theme from the available bubble chart or on a topic from the available list. The measure table will update automatically based on your selection.
To select multiple themes or topics:
- Select the first theme or topic.
- Hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac.
- While hold the key, select each additional theme or topic you want to include in your selection.
The measures table will update to display results for all selected items.
Double-click the selected item to clear that individual selection.
- Navigate to the bottom-right corner of the dashboard.
- Hover over the arrow icons until you find the arrow labeled “Reset view”.
- Click the “Reset view” arrow.
This will return the dashboard to its original state.
- Navigate to the bottom-right corner of the dashboard.
- Hover over the arrow icons until you find the arrow labeled “Undo last action”.
- Click the “Undo last action” arrow.
You can also double-click an individual selected item or use “Reset view” to clear all selections.
Try clearing your selections and starting again. Some combinations of filters may not have corresponding measures. You can also use the “Reset view” button to restore the original dashboard.