The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index surveyed 676,000 Americans — one of the largest well-being studies ever conducted. The index measures physical health, emotional health, life evaluation, work environment, and basic access, producing a composite well-being score by religious group.
LDS members scored 69.4%, tying with Jews for the highest well-being of any religious group in America. Every other religious group scored lower.
Pew Research Center's 2023-24 data corroborates the finding: 83-85% of current LDS members report being "very or pretty happy." Among LDS members under 50 years old, 92% report high life satisfaction, compared to 79% of the general population.
The consistency across two independent major surveys — Gallup (676,000 respondents) and Pew (37,000 respondents) — strengthens the reliability of the finding.
Discussion