Measures of Adult Wellbeing

Tools to Measure the General Wellbeing of Adults

Measures are listed from short to long (based on the shortest form) in terms of length of Administration, and each title is hyperlinked to a corresponding section with more information. All measures are reliable and valid and intended for adults.

Free Measures of Adult Wellbeing in a General Setting

Name of Measure	Length	Pros	Cons
Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS)	4 items		Only 10% related to life circumstances Currently under review
The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWL)	5 items	Available in multiple languages Comparable to national norms to contextualize wellbeing scores	Possibly too short for robust understanding of individual wellbeing (5-items)
Contentment with Life Assessment Scale (CLAS)	5 items	Comparatively in-depth focus of life satisfaction: contentment, fulfillment, and self-discrepancies	Possibly too short for robust understanding (5-items) Less widely tested than other measures
Flourishing Scale (FS)	8 items	Translations are available	Possibly too short for robust understanding (8-items)
The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ)	8 items 29 items	Both long and short versions Widely used
Comprehensive and Brief Inventory of Thriving (CIT & BIT)	10 items 54 items	Both long and short versions Covers multiple domains Translations available
Mental Health Continuum Short and Long Form (MHC-SF)	14 items 40 items	Multiple translations available Used mostly with adults but can be used with 12-18-year-olds Extensive overview with relatively few items
Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)	20 items	Has partner scale for children (see PANAS-C) Multiple translations available (French, German, Swedish)
The PERMA Profiler	23 items	General overview of wellbeing Widely used