Personal Value Priorities and Life Satisfaction in Europe

Abstract

The present study examined the relations of personal values to life satisfaction (LS) across 25 European nations. Multilevel statistics with country-level Human Development Index (HDI) as a contextual moderator tested its effect on the individual-level relations between personal values and LS. HDI moderated the relations between LS and 8 of the 10 basic values identified by Schwartz’s values theory. Across countries, high benevolence and hedonism values were associated with heightened LS, whereas high power and security values were related to lower LS. Achievement was positively related to LS in low HDI countries, but negatively in high HDI countries, whereas the opposite pattern occurred for universalism values and LS. Our results emphasize the importance of considering the broader context in which personal values are pursued when examining their implications for LS.

Keywords

well-being life satisfaction values socioeconomic development value–environment fit multilevel analyses

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