Pew Research has asked people in more than a dozen countries what brings meaning to their lives. As should not be surprising although there are some common themes (family, work, friends) the results and the relative importance of different aspects of life vary from country to country. They’re summarized in the table above. What I find most interesting are the differences.
I can tell you what the actual research says: meaning is something you bring to your life not something you are given or take away. A person who sees meaning in their families or friends or work (or anything else) will find more meaning in their lives than those who don’t.
I found it odd that in the US occupation was so low on the list.
But then I live in Nebraska, the state with the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.
Here, it truly is heard most often, “work comes first”.