Satisfaction with Life Scale – SWLS
A short 5-item instrument designed to measure global cognitive judgments of satisfaction with one's life.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Satisfaction with Life Scale – SWLS was developed by Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). It is designed to measure Life satisfaction. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 5 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Slightly disagree, 4 = Neither agree nor disagree, 5 = Slightly agree, 6 = Agree, 7 = Strongly agree.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 5 to 35. Interpretation guidelines:
- Extremely dissatisfied: 5 – 9
- Dissatisfied: 10 – 14
- Slightly dissatisfied: 15 – 19
- Slightly satisfied: 20 – 24
- Satisfied: 25 – 29
- Extremely satisfied: 30 – 35
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 1 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.