INTRODUCTION
Why do we need the YMI?
We are living in the greatest paradox of our time. We have never had more opportunities in life. Yet, we have never been lonelier, nor more depressed, anxious and stressed.
Simultaneously, psychologists are increasingly recognizing the role of meaning in life for positive development, including in children and adolescents.
A higher level of meaningfulness is associated with*:
Lower levels of sustance abuse
Lower levels of social and emotional difficulties
Lower likelihood of experiencing suicidal ideation and attempts
Higher levels of health maintenance
Higher life satisfaction
Higher positive emotions
Current indices and surveys focused on children and youth generally measure factors that are objective to young people such as access to basic knowledge, health, and wellness; access to information and communications; and environmental quality. Oftentimes, children and youth are not directly involved in the study.
Meanwhile, indices and surveys that do involve young people, tend to focus on measuring concepts such as happiness.
The YMI differs from other indices because:
Our research focuses solely on understanding the subjective experiences of children and youth.
Instead of focusing on emotions such as happiness, the YMI is interested in exploring how young people experience meaning in their lives.
In developing the YMI we aim to understand:
Drivers
What are the drivers of meaningfulness in young people?
Impact
What impact does meaningfulness have on educational and other socio-development outcomes?
Development
What role does meaning in life play in development more broadly?
Global Perspectives
How is meaningfulness experienced by children across different countries and cultures, and across different socio-economic groups?
Education
How can education prepare young people for leading a meaningful life?
Educators
What role can educators play in encouraging and supporting meaning?
The YMI gives a voice to the youth.
A strong focus of the YMI is to ensure that we are giving a voice to children and adolescents in all aspects of the project.
This is how:
The YMI project has a Youth Advisory Council
In Phase I we made sure that we directly asked children and adolescents what is meaningful to them.
In Phase II we are collecting data directly on children and adolescents to measure how much meaning they are experiencing in their lives.
Phase I – Finalized ✔
Identifying Drivers
Phase I focused on data collection to explore what constitutes meaning in the youth. The objective was to identify drivers and sub-drivers of meaning in the youth population.
Data Collection
During the Phase I study, the YMI team partnered with organizations in Denmark, India, and Norway for data collection purposes. In Denmark, a partnership was established with UNICEF Denmark to collect data through its Rights School Program implemented in different regions in the country. In India, the YMI team partnered with Morsel to collect data in schools in the Maharashtra state. Finally, in Norway, a partnership was established with Gleding to collect data in schools throughout the country.
In total, responses were collected from a total of 10,006 children and adolescents between 8 and 15 years.
Questions asked to the children are outlined below:
Q1: What engages you or what do you think is interesting to do?
Name as many things as you like.
Q2: When you are sad, what cheers you up?
Name as many things as you like.
Q3. Please score from 1-10 the seven options below according to what you think adds most meaning to your life.
(10 = most meaning and 1 = least meaning)
- Doing things you feel are good for your family, friends, and/or community.
- Having your basic needs met, like having enough food, water, a house, a school.
- Feeling that you are being guided/receive support from the people around you.
- Spending time with family and friends.
- Learning new things and growing up.
- Doing activities that you think are fun – e.g., doing sports, playing games, or practicing your hobby.
- Something else not on this list.
Data from Phase I of the YMI can be found here.
Analysis and Identification of Drivers
The responses were analyzed using OpenAI and natural language processing in content and sentiment analysis. Drivers and sub-drivers of meaning were identified for each country independently.
Once drivers and sub-drivers were identified for each country, the YMI team conducted a thorough desk review to validate the findings with academic literature. The drivers and sub-drivers were also discussed with the YMI Advisory Council for validation and interpretation purposes. Findings of the desk review and feedback from the Advisory Council informed the final drivers of meaning identified in Phase I: Purpose, Self-Care, Social Connectivity, and Physical and Emotional Engagement.
Sub-drivers can be found here.
Phase I of the YMI supported unfolding the meaning of life in children and informed Phase II of the YMI.
Phase II – Finalized ✔
Piloting The YMI
Phase II of the YMI focused on developing and testing a universal index to measure meaningfulness in the youth population, the YMI tool.
To further strengthen and legitimize the methodology, a thorough desk review was conducted focusing on the relationship between meaningfulness and the drivers and sub-drivers identified in Phase I and discussions were held with the Academic and the Youth Advisory Councils.
YMI Tool Development Process
The YMI tool was developed using the identified drivers and sub-drivers of meaning in Phase I.
Each statement in the tool is aligned to one sub-driver of meaning. These sub-drivers describe various aspects of youth well-being, which the statements aim to capture.
To develop the tool, we first solicited statements from a database of items provided by experts in the field for each driver area, such as international or multicultural purpose studies or validated surveys conducted in the areas of youth purpose and meaning. We then meticulously reviewed each statement within the YMI tool, considering its context, wording, and thematic content. Thereafter, we consulted the statements with the YMI Advisory Council and the Youth Advisory Council to measure the feasibility and gage understanding of the individual statements in capturing the meaning behind each sub-driver and item in the tool. These experts provided invaluable insights. Through several consultations and input from our in-country partners, we validated our choices, refined our mappings, and ensured that our sub-driver assignments resonated with existing research and theoretical frameworks.
You can find the YMI tool here.
Data Collection
Data collection using the YMI tool too place throughout 2024 in Ukraine in collaboration with UNICEF Ukraine U-report as well as in Algeria, India, Kenya, Morocco, Norway and Peru. A total of over 6000 children, adolescents and young adults were consulted. Global and Country specific findings are available on the Insights page.
The tool was therefore tested in a large variety of socio-economic and cultural settings to validate its universal application and draw lessons to adapt it to make sure it is adapted to all age groups and geographies.
Practical Implications
This piloting phase also provided an opportunity to further articulate the practical applications of the research, as it was embedded in projects such as the UNESCO Ukraine initiative on youth-led research, the Salaam Bombay Foundation program assessing the impact of education on young lives, and the Nivishe Foundation initiative focused on strengthening mental health support in vulnerable communities. In Ukraine, the YMI supported a youth-led research process that amplified young people’s voices in shaping recovery and resilience strategies, resulting in concrete recommendations integrated into local education and community engagement plans. With the Salaam Bombay Foundation in India, it helped demonstrate how education and extracurricular programs improve students’ sense of purpose, resilience, and aspirations, strengthening the evidence base for expanding such interventions. And with the Nivishe Foundation in Kenya, the YMI highlighted the importance of peer-led initiatives in reducing stigma and increasing access to mental health services, which informed the design of more inclusive community-based support models.
These initiatives reinforced our conviction that the YMI is a powerful tool for policymakers and practitioners. It helps to better understand the lived experiences and mental health challenges of children and youth worldwide, while also informing programming, monitoring the impact of interventions, and strengthening learning environments and community resilience.
Check out our Get Involved page to learn more.
Phase III – Ongoing
Youth Advisory Council
Phase 3 of the Youth Meaningfulness Index (YMI) marks the transition from piloting toward global consolidation and application. Building on the exploratory mapping of drivers of meaning (Phase 1) and the piloting and validation of the YMI tool across diverse contexts (Phase 2), this next stage focuses on scaling, standardization, and practical uptake. Phase 3 is centered on three objectives: first, to establish the YMI as a robust, longitudinal index that can be applied consistently across countries; second, to translate insights into actionable recommendations for policymakers, educators, and organizations working with youth; and third, to expand strategic partnerships with governments, civil society, and the private sector to embed youth meaningfulness into policies and programs. By anchoring its methodology in both scientific rigor and the lived experiences of children and adolescents, Phase 3 positions the YMI as a globally recognized resource to track youth well-being over time and catalyze systemic change.
In parallel, Phase 3 is accompanied by a strong outreach and engagement component. We are in the process of launching a digital campaign across Bangladesh, Denmark, Germany, Mexico, Senegal, Syria, and the USA, designed to amplify the voices of young people and broaden awareness of what drives meaning in their lives. Our extended Youth Advisory Council will also play a key role in sharing these messages across their networks. At the same time, we are carrying out in-depth case studies with UNICEF in Ukraine, Nivishe in Kenya, and Salam Bombay in India, alongside an academic collaboration in Algeria. These initiatives not only strengthen the global evidence base but also ensure that YMI findings are contextualized, locally relevant, and directly connected to ongoing youth-focused programs and strategies.
Looking ahead, we aim to take the YMI to as many places as possible and are eager to join forces with new partners, including global youth organizations. We warmly invite anyone who shares this vision to connect with us and help grow this collective movement for more meaningful lives for young people everywhere.