Global Survey Invites You to Share How You Are Doing

How are you really doing? That’s the question at the heart of a groundbreaking global mental health survey led by Kai Ruggeri, Columbia Mailman School Professor of Health Policy and Management.

>> Anyone age 18 and over is invited to take the survey here.

The Global Mental Health Project seeks to take the temperature of mental health and well-being worldwide. It is one of the most geographically inclusive surveys of its kind, drawing data from more than 90 countries. Launched on June 16, the anonymous four-minute online survey asks participants to rate their current life satisfaction, stress levels, and expectations for the future, along with a few background questions. Early responses have been explosive, with over 5,000 participants in just 48 hours. Data collection will continue through June.

“We want to know, genuinely, how people are doing—no tricks, no agendas,” says Ruggeri, whose team of 300 collaborators around the world has tailored the survey into scores of languages.

The study builds on work Ruggeri began with his late mentor, Felicia Huppert, a pioneer in well-being research who faced years of resistance before her robust method was adopted by organizations like the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a global policy driver, and the European Social Survey. Huppert focused on what people were experiencing in their lives, rather than just determining whether they had a job or needed psychiatric care. 

“The Huppert method captures aspects of well-being that are missed when you just measure GDP, depression, or life satisfaction,” Ruggeri says. “Mental health isn’t just about pills or brain scans. It’s about whether people see a future for themselves, whether they have meaningful relationships, and whether they find a sense of purpose.”

The data provided by the survey will be valuable as a snapshot of global mental health and how it varies by country and region. In 2020, Ruggeri led an analysis of data from 21 European countries. That study found a wide variation, with the lowest levels of well-being seen in Bulgaria and the highest in Denmark. 

The new survey will provide insights into disparities by factors like gender and employment, as well as the phenomenon of hybrid and remote work. Ultimately, Ruggeri hopes the data can inform policy but also hold policymakers accountable.

“We are not pushing a specific result or expectation from this work. Our goal is to find out how people are doing and what factors matter. That alone should inform and set major policy goals,” he explains. “But it also requires policymakers to pay attention because there is nothing more important than addressing the factors that can harm or improve the well-being of populations.”