The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) is a 5-item measure of an individual's own judgement of their overall life satisfaction. The scale is designed to be used as a global measure of subjective well-being across different age groups.
Geographies Tested: United States of America
Populations Included: Female, Male
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
Instructions: Below are five statements with which you may agree or disagree. Using the 1-7 scale below, indicate your agreement with each item by placing the appropriate number on the line preceding that item. Please be open and honest in your responding.
1. In most ways my life is close to ideal.
2. The conditions of my life are excellent.
3. I am satisfied with my life.
4. So far I have gotten the important things I want in life.
5. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
Response Options:
Strongly agree - 1
Disagree - 2
Slightly disagree - 3
Neither agree nor disagree - 4
Slightly agree - 5
Agree - 6
Strongly agree - 7
Each of the 5 items are scored from 1 to 7, therefore a score of 5 represents the lowest possible satisfaction and 35 represents the highest possible satisfaction.
Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71-75. doi: 10.1207/ s15327752jpa4901_13
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