Gallup survey: People feel they're living better lives on global scale
The global analytics and advisory firm released its Life Evaluation Index on Tuesday, which is based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale.
The scale asks those polled to first "Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top," with the top of the ladder representing "the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you."
It then asks, "On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?" and then "On which step do you think you will stand about five years from now?"
In 2024, Gallup asked adults across 142 countries to rate their lives, and a median of 33% rated their lives well enough to be classified as "thriving," which demonstrates a trend of improvements in life evaluation that has risen for more than a decade.
This does differ from the 28% population-weighted average of global residents who feel that they are thriving, which leans more toward nations with larger populations, but not enough to affect the overall upward average that has been seen over the past 15 years.
Gallup further notes that the global medium tracks closely and remains higher than what was recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that the 2024 median score was 5.9 out of 10, which is close to the 2022 and 2023 findings but higher than most high points noted over the 15-year study.
According to the Gallup findings, the lowest point was 2008, when only 20% reported to be thriving.
The median 2024 future life rating was 7.2 out of 10, which is actually a tick lower than the 2020 7.3 peak recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for those who rate their lives as "suffering," that number crested at 12% from 2012 to 2014, but accordingly, 2024 came in at its lowest point, at 7%.
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