Developing Nations and Developing Surveys: Measuring Inner Wellbeing in Zambia and India, 2010-2013

In the present chapter, we summarize the results of a programme of research that we have undertaken concerning domains of inner wellbeing (i.e., individuals’ feelings and thoughts about what they can do and be) as experienced by individuals in villages within two nations in the global South (i.e., Zambia and India). Results of confirmatory factor analyses for Zambia at Time 1 (in 2010, n = 361) and for India at Time 1 (in 2011, n = 287) indicated that, although we had expected seven to eight intercorrelated domains to emerge, inner wellbeing was best regarded as a unidimensional construct. However, after we engaged in intensive reflection and extensive reconceptualization and measurement of inner wellbeing, results for Zambia Time 2 (in 2012, n = 344) and for India Time 2 (in 2013, n = 335) indicated that inner wellbeing was best regarded as a multidimensional construct with seven intercorrelated domains (i.e., economic confidence, agency/participation, social connections, close relationships, physical/mental health, competence/selfworth, and values/meaning). Implications for the conceptualization and measurement of inner wellbeing within the global South, and for theoretical and methodological issues concerning wellbeing in general, are discussed