A Meta-Analytic Review of Asian American Life Satisfaction

The present study reviewed 36 studies that utilized the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener et al., 1985) to measure life satisfaction (LS) in Asian Americans (AA), and 18 studies that compared Asian American and European American (EA) life satisfaction. We conducted a meta-analysis to identify their mean level of life satisfaction and to determine the effect size of difference between Asian Americans' life satisfaction and European Americans' life satisfaction. Overall, Asian Americans reported a mean life satisfaction score of 22.66 out of 35, indicating that they are slightly satisfied with their lives. Asian Americans consistently reported moderately lower life satisfaction scores compared to European Americans (d = −0.51, 95% CI [−0.73, −0.30], p < .001). We also assessed a number of theoretically relevant variables to determine if they could significantly predict Asian American life satisfaction, or if they significantly moderated the effect size of difference between Asian American and European American life satisfaction. What is the public significance of this article? This article is a meta-analysis of 36 studies that measured Asian American (AA) life satisfaction and found that overall, Asian Americans were "slightly satisfied" with their lives. Consistently, Asian Americans reported lower life satisfaction than European Americans (EA), and this effect size was moderate. No publication characteristics or study factors predicted AA life satisfaction. However, studies that included a EA comparison group were published in higher impact journals, although the mean level of AA life satisfaction was no different than studies that examined AA only.