Do people around the world feel like they belong?
That simple question led our team from the Global Flourishing Study to analyze data from 202,898 people in 22 countries.
Belonging is a psychosocial mechanism that supports human flourishing. It is not social connectedness nor social contact. It’s about being recognized, needed, and known. And that’s what fuels human flourishing.
We discovered that the story of belonging changes with culture and context. Here are some results:
— In Japan, belonging grows stronger later in life.
— In India and Tanzania, it fades with age.
— Regular religious service attendance makes a big difference almost everywhere.
— Migrants often feel disconnected, though not always. In Egypt and Indonesia, they report higher belonging than locals.
Demographic patterns also tell a story. Older adults and those who attend religious services frequently report higher belonging. Employment and marriage add stability, while migrants, gender-diverse groups, and the unemployed often feel more disconnected. Yet even these trends differ across nations: in India, belonging declines with age; in Japan, it rises.
Implications for flourishing
From a psychological-scientific standpoint, belonging meets fundamental human needs for relatedness and mattering. When belonging is weakened, individuals may feel isolated, undervalued, and disconnected—a risk factor for psychological distress. The study’s global map of belonging suggests that promoting connection, community integration, and inclusive institutions is as important as addressing individual deficits.
What this means for practice
For practitioners, educators, faith-leaders and community builders:
Create environments where people regularly engage in meaningful group rituals or gatherings (e.g., faith communities, civic groups).
Support structures that integrate migrants and disadvantaged groups into social networks.
Recognize that belonging is not simply “feel good” social connection mumbo-jumbo but a precursor to flourishing.
Tailor interventions to local culture because measures that work in one country may not translate directly to another because belonging emerges differently across societies.
A call to action
This study reminds us that flourishing does not rest solely on personal achievement or resilience. It rests on connection, recognition, and shared identity. The world’s largest survey of belonging tells us: what we build together to welcome, include and integrate will determine how many of us feel at home—not just in our country, but in our communities and in our own lives.
You can also check my work on the childhood predictors of belonging across 22 countries around the world.
Citations:
Counted, V., Allen, K.A., Johnson, B.R., & VanderWeele, T.J. (2025). Variations in belonging across 22 countries in the Global Flourishing Study. The Journal of Positive Psychology https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2025.2569083
Counted, V., Allen, K., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025).The Roots of Belonging: Childhood Predictors of Belonging in 22 Countries. Scient
