“Having enough” is not enough: The value of “wanting more” in subjective sufficiency measures

The notion of sufficiency has gained considerable traction over the past decades due to its benefits for environmental sustainability, well-being, and socio-ecological justice. However, little is known about societal readiness for sufficiency. In this article we develop single-item and aggregate measures of subjective sufficiency in the material domain, combining two dimensions: enoughness (“on a material level, I feel that I have enough”) and aspiration (“on a material level, I would like to have more than I currently have”). Using Flemish survey data from 2020 (N = 1623), we address four research objectives: assessing the prevalence and methodological validity of the developed measures, exploring socio-demographic and personality characteristics associated with subjective sufficiency, and examining its relationship with life satisfaction and subjective income sufficiency. We find that aspiration plays a critical role in shaping aggregate sufficiency measures, and that most of the population experiences subjective sufficiency, with prevalence ranging from 55% to 71% depending on the measure. Moreover, the experience of sufficiency is more common among women, homeowners, high earners, homemakers, and conscientious individuals, follows a nonlinear age pattern and is less common among materialistic individuals. A four-group typology demonstrates that single-dimension approaches misclassify 24.1% of respondents. Subjective sufficiency is positively associated with both life satisfaction and subjective income sufficiency. The measures developed in this study provide valuable tools for gauging subjective sufficiency experiences, which could offer insights into psychological preconditions for sufficiency practices. Ultimately, our findings guide policymakers with tools to identify population segments differing in their readiness for sufficiency transitions.