Methodology
Instruments and data dictionary
Every wave asks the same core questions in the same order. Current version: JLIS-core v0.3 (draft, 2026-10). Earlier versions are preserved and each response stores the version it was answered under.
The four reference points: Gallup, Cantril, OECD, WHO-5
Three of these are organisations — Gallup (a research organisation), the OECD (an international standard-setting body) and the WHO (a health agency). The Cantril Ladder is a question format from 1965. None of them is a partner in this study.
Cantril Ladder
A question format (scale), first published by psychologist Hadley Cantril in 1965
What it measures
People picture a ladder from 0 (worst possible life for them) to 10 (best possible life) and say which step they stand on now. A second, optional question asks where they expect to stand about five years from now.
Why we use it
It lets each person judge their life by their own standards, and it is one of the most widely used life-evaluation questions in the world, so our figures can be read against a familiar reference point.
How to read it
Higher is a better self-rated life. A one-step change on one person's ladder is small and can come from many things; we look at group patterns over the year.
How it differs: It is a scale, not an organisation. It asks for an overall judgement of life against a self-chosen best and worst, rather than 'satisfaction' (OECD) or recent mood (WHO-5).
Gallup
An independent research and polling organisation
What it measures
The Gallup World Poll asks people in many countries both Cantril questions — present life and life in five years, each 0–10. These answers supply the life-evaluation data used in the World Happiness Report.
Why we use it
We use the same ladder wording so that results can be compared, in a broad way, with a large international body of data. We do not use Gallup's services and are not connected to Gallup.
How to read it
Gallup groups people as 'thriving' (present 7 or more AND future 8 or more), 'suffering' (present 4 or less AND future 4 or less), or otherwise 'struggling'. These labels need both questions. Because our five-year question is optional, we only apply them to people who answered both, and we never apply them from the present ladder alone.
How it differs: Gallup is the organisation that runs the survey; the Cantril Ladder is the question it uses. Gallup is not a standard-setting or health body.
OECD
An international organisation that sets statistical standards for its member countries
What it measures
The OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being (2025 update) recommend a core set of questions — satisfaction with life overall, whether the things you do are worthwhile, and physical pain — plus extended modules on areas of life (domains) and on meaning and growth (eudaimonia).
Why we use it
Their goal is comparable, carefully worded measures of how people experience their lives, collected alongside economic statistics. Following that guidance makes our main outcome — overall life satisfaction — standard and transparent.
How to read it
All items use 0–10. Higher means more satisfied, more worthwhile, or more pain (the pain item runs the other way). Some wording here is still marked 'to verify' against the published guidelines.
How it differs: The OECD publishes guidance; it does not run this study and has not reviewed or approved it. 'Satisfaction' asks how content you are, which is close to — but not the same as — the Cantril ladder's best-to-worst life judgement.
WHO-5
A short questionnaire published by the World Health Organization, a health agency
What it measures
Five positive statements about mental wellbeing over the last two weeks (for example 'I have felt calm and relaxed'), each answered from 0 ('At no time') to 5 ('All of the time').
Why we use it
It adds a short, widely used view of recent day-to-day wellbeing, which can move differently from overall life judgements.
How to read it
The five answers are added (0–25) and multiplied by four, giving 0–100. Higher means better recent wellbeing. It is not a diagnosis and this study does not use it to screen or advise anyone.
How it differs: It uses a 0–5 answer scale, not 0–10, and covers the last two weeks rather than life as a whole. Licensing and translation terms are still to be confirmed. The WHO is not involved in this study.
Journey exploratory items
The four Journey items (meeting difficult emotions, recognising habitual reactions, compassion, authenticity) were written for this study. They are exploratory and not validated. They are not OECD or WHO measures and should be read with more caution than the established scales.
Associations, not causes. Every change this study reports is an association over time, not proof of cause. Without a comparison group we cannot say The Journey caused any change — life events, expectations and natural ups and downs also play a part. Gallup, the OECD and the WHO are not partners in, and have not endorsed, reviewed or certified, this study.
Technical source and measurement notes
- Cantril present ladder (cantril_now, 0–10): self-anchoring striving scale, Cantril (1965). Used by the Gallup World Poll and as life-evaluation input to the World Happiness Report.
- Cantril future ladder (cantril_future, 0–10): optional secondary item. Gallup's thriving (now ≥ 7 and future ≥ 8), suffering (now ≤ 4 and future ≤ 4) and struggling (all other) categories are computed only where both items are answered; respondents missing the future item are reported as "not classifiable", never imputed.
- OECD core (oecd_ls, oecd_worth, oecd_pain; 0–10): per the OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, 2025 update. oecd_ls is the pre-specified primary outcome. Pain is reverse-direction (higher = more pain). Wording flagged "to verify" is not claimed as canonical.
- OECD extended: five life-domain satisfactions and three eudaimonic items, 0–10. Domains are analysed separately, not summed.
- WHO-5 (who5_1..5, 0–5; who5_index 0–100 = raw sum × 4): positively worded, two-week recall. Higher = better wellbeing. Not used diagnostically or for screening. Licensing and translations pending confirmation.
- Journey items (jy_*, 0–10): newly written, unvalidated, exploratory; not OECD or WHO content. Reported separately and never combined with established scales.
- Inference: single-arm observational cohort; all change estimates are associations. No organisation named here has endorsed, reviewed or certified this study.
Scales
Most items use a 0–10 scale with labelled end-points. WHO-5 uses a different six-point scale (0 "At no time" to 5 "All of the time"); its raw sum (0–25) is multiplied by four to give 0–100. The survey shows these differences explicitly.
Verification status
- OECD item wording marked "to verify" must be checked against the OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being before fielding. It is not claimed as canonical here.
- WHO-5 licensing terms and official translations to be confirmed with the rights holder.
- Journey items are newly written and exploratory; psychometric evaluation is planned.
Data dictionary
| Variable | Instrument | Item | Scale | Req. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cantril_now | Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale | On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time? | 0–10 (Worst possible life – Best possible life) | Yes |
| cantril_future | Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale | Secondary (optional): On which step do you think you will stand about five years from now?Secondary item. Skip freely. Needed for Gallup-style thriving/struggling/suffering categories; those are only computed when both ladders are answered. | 0–10 (Worst possible life – Best possible life) | Optional |
| oecd_ls | OECD core subjective well-being module | Overall, how satisfied are you with life as a whole these days?Primary outcome. | 0–10 (Not at all satisfied – Completely satisfied) | Yes |
| oecd_worth | OECD core subjective well-being module | Overall, to what extent do you feel the things you do in your life are worthwhile? | 0–10 (Not at all worthwhile – Completely worthwhile) | Yes |
| oecd_pain | OECD core subjective well-being module | How much physical pain did you experience yesterday?Wording to verify against OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being (2025 update) before fielding. | 0–10 (No pain – Worst pain imaginable) | Optional |
| dom_rel | OECD life-domain satisfaction | Your personal relationshipsWording to verify against OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being (2025 update) before fielding. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| dom_health | OECD life-domain satisfaction | Your health | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Optional |
| dom_sol | OECD life-domain satisfaction | Your standard of living | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Optional |
| dom_ach | OECD life-domain satisfaction | What you are achieving in life | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| dom_belong | OECD life-domain satisfaction | Feeling part of your community | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| eud_auto | OECD exploratory eudaimonic items | I am free to decide for myself how to live my life — I am able to do the things I value.Wording to verify against OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being (2025 update) before fielding. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| eud_ach | OECD exploratory eudaimonic items | Most days I get a sense of accomplishment from what I do. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| eud_growth | OECD exploratory eudaimonic items | I am learning and growing as a person. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| who5_1 | WHO-5 Well-Being Index | I have felt cheerful and in good spirits | 0–5 | Yes |
| who5_2 | WHO-5 Well-Being Index | I have felt calm and relaxed | 0–5 | Yes |
| who5_3 | WHO-5 Well-Being Index | I have felt active and vigorous | 0–5 | Yes |
| who5_4 | WHO-5 Well-Being Index | I woke up feeling fresh and rested | 0–5 | Yes |
| who5_5 | WHO-5 Well-Being Index | My daily life has been filled with things that interest me | 0–5 | Yes |
| jy_emotion | Journey exploratory items (not validated) | When difficult emotions arise, I can meet them without being overwhelmed. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| jy_reaction | Journey exploratory items (not validated) | I can recognise my habitual reactions and respond freely rather than automatically. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| jy_compassion | Journey exploratory items (not validated) | I can offer compassion to myself and others in moments of difficulty. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| jy_authentic | Journey exploratory items (not validated) | I am living an authentic life, free from others' expectations. | 0–10 (Not at all – Completely) | Yes |
| who5_index | WHO-5 derived | Sum of who5_1..5 × 4 | 0–100 | Derived |
| reflection | Qualitative | Baseline: What would you most like to see change in your life over the next year? Follow-up: Looking back over the past three months, what, if anything, has changed most significantly in how you experience yourself and your life? | Free text | Optional |
| profile_* | Baseline only | Age band, country, language, gender (all optional); prior Journey exposure; enrolment track; programme start date and baseline date | Categorical / date | Mixed |
| context_* | Follow-up only | Programme attendance, practice frequency, major external life events (optional) | Categorical | Optional |