Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale across 26 countries
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Publication Date
5-2017
Volume
48
Issue
4
First Page
560
Last Page
576
Publisher
Sage Publications, Inc.
Keywords
life satisfaction, satisfaction with life scale (SWLS), measurement invaraince, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA), multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (ML-CFA), alignment optimization method, multilevel multiple indicators multiple causes (ML-MIMIC), measurement/statistics, cross-cultural differences
Abstract
The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a commonly used life satisfaction scale. Cross-cultural researchers use SWLS to compare mean scores of life satisfaction across countries. Despite the wide use of SWLS in cross-cultural studies, measurement invariance of SWLS has rarely been investigated, and previous studies showed inconsistent findings. Therefore, we examined the measurement invariance of SWLS with samples collected from 26 countries. To test measurement invariance, we utilized three measurement invariance techniques: (a) multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA), (b) multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (ML-CFA), and (c) alignment optimization methods. The three methods demonstrated that configural and metric invariances of life satisfaction held across 26 countries, whereas scalar invariance did not. With partial invariance testing, we identified that the intercepts of Items 2, 4, and 5 were noninvariant. Based on two invariant intercepts, factor means of countries were compared. Chile showed the highest factor mean; Spain and Bulgaria showed the lowest. The findings enhance our understanding of life satisfaction across countries, and they provide researchers and practitioners with practical guidance on how to conduct measurement invariance testing across countries.
DOI
10.1177/0022022117697844
Print ISSN
00220221
E-ISSN
15525422
Publisher Statement
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017. Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Jang, S., Kim, E. S., Cao, C., Allen, T. D., Cooper, C. L., Lapierre, L. M., … Woo, J.-M. (2017). Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale across 26 countries. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 48(4), 560-576. doi: 10.1177/0022022117697844