Hope and the Life Course: Results From a Longitudinal Study of 25,000 Adults

This paper reports the first large-scale longitudinal links between one of the least known dimensions of wellbeing-hope-and long-term outcomes in a range of life arenas. Hope has agentic properties which are relevant to people's future outcomes. Following 25,000 randomly sampled Australian adults over a period of 14 years from 2007 to 2021 (N > 115,000), we find a strong link between hope and better contemporary and future outcomes. Individuals with high levels of hope had improved later wellbeing, education, economic and employment outcomes, perceived and objective health, and are less likely to be lonely. Hope is associated with higher resilience, ability to adapt, and internal locus of control. It also serves as a psychological buffer during bad times. Respondents with high levels of hope were less likely to be influenced by negative life events and adapted more quickly and completely after these major events. Better understanding the drivers and consequences of hope can ultimately inform public policy to improve people's lives.