When Values Don't Add Up: Individual and Combined Effects of Personal Values on Life Satisfaction From A Decade of Nationally Representative UK Social Surveys

Personal values have been found to shape how individuals define, pursue, and experience well-being. Drawing on three waves of nationally representative United Kingdom panel data (Wave 1: N = 10,828; Wave 2: N = 15,708; Wave 3: N = 13,898), this study examined the link between self-reported values and life satisfaction. Across all waves, personal characteristics (e.g., health, happiness) were the most frequently cited values and consistently associated with higher life satisfaction, while material values (e.g., finances, employment) were consistently associated with lower life satisfaction. Latent Class Analysis (LCA) identified six distinct value profiles—subpopulations of participants with similar value configurations—the most popular containing similar frequencies of concern for self and others. Value profiles were less predictive of life satisfaction than independent values, suggesting that the influence of values on well-being may be overstated in the literature. We urge researchers to shift toward studying more naturalistic value configurations, rather than isolated values, to better understand their contribution to well-being.