RFI’s Paul Marshall wrote an article for The Diplomat discussing key findings from a new global study on human flourishing. The study – conducted by Baylor and Harvard Universities, together with Gallup and the Center for Open Science – is unique in its scale and rigor, and often surprising results. Marshall highlights findings on both religion and wealth, especially as evidenced in Indonesia and the Philippines, two of the three top ranking countries in the study, as well as those findings concerning Western, secular countries. Marshall writes:

Another major finding is that those who attend religious services tend to flourish more. Unusually, this finding is consistently important across almost every country but is strongest in Western, secular countries. This positive role of religion is consistent with most serious social science surveys. Of course, there are dramatic exceptions – such as the tyrannies of the Islamic State or the Taliban – but overall serious religion correlates with human wellbeing.

Consistent with the results on religion, the more secular WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic) countries do not do well in this measure of human flourishing. Of the 22 countries covered, the United States falls in the bottom half, and the United Kingdom almost at the bottom. These and other richer developed countries score higher on financial security and life evaluation, but poorer nations more than make up for this on stronger meaning, purpose, and relationships. 

In general, the survey found that meaning in life and composite flourishing is negatively correlated with GDP per capita. Money does not itself increase human flourishing.

This also produces a striking result for ASEAN. Of the 22 countries surveyed, only two are in Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. But surprisingly, these are two out of the three leading countries in the world. Whether or not financial factors are included, Indonesia comes in first and the Philippines third.

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Both countries are very religious. Each has a large majority religion but with comparative openness to robust religious minorities. Reflecting this, both Indonesia and the Philippines still have strong family, communal, village, and tribal relations, even among those who have moved to the big cities. In short, they can draw on tradition and are more rooted societies. Indonesia scores highest in the world in, inter alia: happiness, life satisfaction, meaning, purpose, relational contentment, satisfying relationships, promoting good, hope, gratitude, and charitable giving. 

There is, of course, much further work to be done on the why of these results. But we can say that wealth and success count for less than meaning, purpose, community, relationships, and religion in human flourishing, and these are areas where much of ASEAN is comparatively rich. 

Read the full article: “Does Southeast Asia Lead the World in Human Flourishing?“