Settlement-Based Measurement Invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale in Turkish Young Adults

This study aimed to examine the measurement invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) based on the place of settlement among Turkish young adults. The study was conducted on 367 university students. A confirmatory factor analysis model was employed to test the multi-group measurement invariance of the SWLS. The findings supported a single-factor structure of the SWLS across subgroups. Measurement invariance tests confirmed the configural invariance, indicating that the overall concept of life satisfaction is similarly understood across different settlement groups. However, full metric invariance was not supported due to Item 1, which showed varying factor loadings depending on settlement type. After freeing this item, partial metric invariance was established, followed by scalar and strict invariance. These results suggest that, except for Item 1, the SWLS functions equivalently across groups, permitting valid comparisons of life satisfaction scores. In sum, the findings support the partial measurement invariance of the SWLS across settlement contexts in a young adult sample. Therefore, while the SWLS can be validly used as a unidimensional measure of satisfaction with life among Turkish young adults, partial metric invariance related to Item 1 should be taken into consideration