Mapping demographic variations in sense of mastery across the world a cross-national analysis of 22 countries in the global flourishing study

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Eric S. Kim, R. Noah Padgett, Matt Bradshaw, Ying Chen, William J. Chopik, Sakurako Okuzono, Renae Wilkinson, Margie E. Lachman, Byron R. Johnson, Tyler J. VanderWeele
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
• Subjects: Global flourishing study; Sense of mastery; Flourishing; Psychological well-being; Cross-cultural
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-15304-1

Abstract Are certain parts of the world home to people with a higher sense of mastery? Does mastery vary across key demographic factors in similar or different ways across national contexts? These questions have been underexplored, or not explored at all. We analyzed nationally representative data from 22 countries in the Global Flourishing Study (N = 202,898) and evaluated these questions. People with the highest mastery were found in countries from Latin America (e.g., #1 Mexico, #3 Argentina), the Middle East/North Africa (e.g., #2 Egypt), and in high-income societies across different regions (e.g., #4 Israel, #5 United States, #6 Spain, #7 Sweden, #8 Hong Kong, and #9 Australia). The results indicate that a high a sense of mastery is achievable in diverse geographical and cultural contexts. Meta-analytic results that pooled country-specific estimates showed a progressive increase in mastery with age. Higher mastery was reported by people who were self-employed or employed by an employer, married, highly educated, regular attendees of religious services, and men. We also observed substantial heterogeneity in these factors across countries. Our research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of global patterns of mastery, and also suggests pathways for fostering mastery within and across diverse national contexts.