Gallup’s Positive and Negative Experience Indexes measure life’s intangibles — feelings and emotions — that traditional economic indicators such as GDP were never intended to capture.
In 2023, several Southeast Asian countries topped the Positive Experience Index and ranked low on the Negative Experience Index. These scores indicate how pervasive positive and negative emotions are in each country.
Southeast Asian Countries Again Led in Positive ExperiencesThe 2023 findings reveal that Southeast Asia’s representation on the Positive Experience Index is strong, with several countries reporting some of the highest positive experiences worldwide. While the Latin American countries of Panama and Paraguay had the highest scores globally at 86, Indonesia was close behind with an index score of 84, and Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand all recorded scores of 82.
Nine in 10 adults in Indonesia (90%) said they smiled or laughed a lot the day before the survey. In the Philippines, 75% of adults learned or did something interesting, well above the global average of 54%. Vietnam (92%) and Malaysia (90%) led the world in feeling well-rested.
Vietnam Reported the Lowest Negative Experiences GloballyThe report also explores the prevalence of negative emotions worldwide. On a global level, negative emotions declined for the first time since 2014. Scores ranged from a high of 53 in Guinea to a low of 11 in Vietnam, which appeared at the bottom of this list for the second time.
Countries and areas with the lowest negative scores do not necessarily have the highest positive scores. Some Southeast Asian countries that ranked highly on the Positive Experience Index did not rank exceptionally low on the Negative Experience Index. Thailand and the Philippines both reported high positive experiences, with index scores of 82, but neither country had low negative experiences, reporting scores of 26 and 35, respectively.
Loneliness Significantly Increases Likelihood of Experiencing Negative EmotionsGiven the substantial threat that loneliness and isolation pose to people’s health and wellbeing, Gallup recently added loneliness to the list of negative emotions that it asks the world about.
An analysis of the relationships between loneliness and other emotions reveals that people who said they felt lonely were substantially more likely than those who did not to experience the five other negative emotions and were less likely to experience the positive ones. Reported loneliness varied across Southeast Asia, from a high of 33% in the Philippines to a low of 6% in Vietnam.
About GallupGallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.
About the Gallup World PollThe
Gallup World Poll is the most comprehensive and farthest-reaching survey of the world. The survey connects with more than 99% of the world's adult population through annual, nationally representative surveys with comparable metrics across countries. The Gallup World Poll is used to measure and track progress on several U.N. sustainable development goals and is the official statistic for work and life for more than 55 indexes and metrics associated with the most important aspects of individuals’ lives, their communities and their countries.
