Where Hope Thrives: Demographic Variation in Hope across 22 Countries

This cross-national study explores self-rated hope across diverse national and demographic contexts, aiming to bridge the gap in understanding its variability and influence on human flourishing. Utilizing the Global Flourishing Study dataset from 22 countries (N = 202,898) and employing random effects meta-analysis, we explore the cross-national variations in self-rated hope across various sociodemographic factors, including age, gender, marital status, employment, religious service attendance, education, and immigration status. Our findings reveal considerable variations in levels of hope across countries, and some notable differences across demographic groups, highlighting unique individual and societal differences within countries. Pooled across countries, older individuals generally reported slightly higher levels of hope compared to younger individuals; levels of hope were slightly higher among individuals who were married, employed, or had higher levels of education. Of the various demographic factors examined, the largest pooled differences concerned religious service attendance, with those attending religious services more than once a week reporting considerably higher hope levels across multiple countries. However, patterns do vary across countries which underscores how the concept of hope varies and is shaped across geographical and cultural contexts. These insights enhance our understanding of hope as a dynamic construct that is shaped by the places and contexts in which people live, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive approaches in fostering hope and human flourishing.