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Testing for Measurement Invariance in the Satisfaction with Life Scale: A Comparison of Russians and North Americans

Social Indicators Research volume 78, pages 341–360 (2006)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 September 2006

Abstract

This study examined the comparability of Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) [Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985, Social Indicators Research, 34: 7–32] scores across U.S. and Russian student and community groups. Criteria for weak measurement invariance were met when comparing U.S. and Russian groups (combining student and community samples). Criteria for weak and strong measurement invariance were met when comparing the U.S. and Russian student samples. However, when comparing the U.S. and Russian community samples, the results showed a significant statistic for a baseline model, indicating a lack of comparability across samples. The costs of failing to meet criteria for weak, strong, and strict measurement invariance are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Irvine Valley College, 5500 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA, 92618, USA

    Kari L. Tucker

  2. Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    Daniel J. Ozer, Sonja Lyubomirsky & Julia K. Boehm

Authors
  1. Kari L. Tucker
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  2. Daniel J. Ozer
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  3. Sonja Lyubomirsky
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  4. Julia K. Boehm
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sonja Lyubomirsky.

Additional information

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11205-006-8330-9.

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Tucker, K.L., Ozer, D.J., Lyubomirsky, S. et al. Testing for Measurement Invariance in the Satisfaction with Life Scale: A Comparison of Russians and North Americans. Soc Indic Res 78, 341–360 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-005-1037-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-005-1037-5

Key words

  • culture
  • life satisfaction
  • measurement invariance
  • subjective well-being