The Psychometric Evaluation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale Using a Nationally Representative Sample of China

Xinwen Bai, Chiahuei Wu, Rui Zheng, Xiaopeng Ren*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

157 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in terms of internal consistency reliability, factorial validity, and measurement invariance across gender, age, residential region (metropolitan area/county town/rural area), educational level, and household income with a nationally representative sample of 4,795 participants in China. The percentages of male (47.0%) and female (53.0%) participants were about equal, and the mean age was 38.56 years (SD = 11.87). The results show that the SWLS has a high internal consistency reliability, a one-factor structure (with a wording effect on Items 4 and 5), strict invariance across gender, partial strict invariance across education (Items 1, 2 and 3), and partial strong invariance across age, income (Items 1, 2 and 3) and residential region (Items 1 and 2). The non-invariance of some items across age and region is discussed in terms of the rapid economic and social transitions of China in the past three decades.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)183-197
Number of pages15
JournalJournal Of Happiness Studies
Volume12
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2011

Keywords

  • Life satisfaction
  • Measurement invariance
  • Satisfaction with life scale
  • Subjective well-being

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Psychometric Evaluation of the Satisfaction with Life Scale Using a Nationally Representative Sample of China'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this