The wave two open research dataset from the Global Flourishing Study (GFS) — one of the most comprehensive studies on wellbeing ever conducted — is now available to researchers.
The GFS is a landmark longitudinal study of over 200,000 people in 22 geographically and culturally diverse countries that is uncovering profound insights into human flourishing on a global scale. The initiative is a collaboration among researchers at Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program and the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, along with Gallup and the Center for Open Science (COS).
While previous studies have tracked respondents over time in a single country, the scope and breadth of GFS is unprecedented — making it the largest study to examine the factors that contribute to individual and societal flourishing.
The GFS data offers an invaluable resource for researchers, journalists, policymakers, and educators worldwide. Wave one and wave two data are available on the Open Science Framework (OSF), a free and open source platform for research project management, built and maintained by COS.
Researchers can access this data in several ways:
- Preregistration: Preregister an analysis plan now to receive access to the wave one and wave two datasets at cos.io/gfs.
- Registered Report: Submit a Registered Report to a journal. With Registered Reports, a journal reviews the preregistration plan and agrees to publish the findings regardless of the study outcomes, reducing publication bias.
- Public release: Both wave one and wave two data will be available without preregistration in 2026.
This latest data release precedes the GFS public launch event on April 30, 2025, hosted at Gallup headquarters in Washington, DC. The event will convene leading experts and renowned thought leaders from academia, business, government, and the nonprofit sector to discuss groundbreaking research, actionable insights, and innovative strategies for advancing individual and societal well-being. Register for the event to attend in person or virtually.
