Scale Analysis
The Oxford Happiness Scale (OHS-29) was developed by Hills and Argyle in 2002 with the purpose of assessing key dimensions of subjective well-being.
Scale Objective
The main goal of the Oxford Happiness Scale is to evaluate essential dimensions of subjective well-being such as:
Life satisfaction
Vigor
Positive affect
Sociability
These represent the four factors of the scale.
Item Scoring
The scale consists of 29 self-report statements that measure various aspects of subjective well-being. Participants are asked to rate the extent to which each statement applies to them using a 4-point Likert scale:
1 = Does not apply at all
2 = Applies a little
3 = Applies moderately
4 = Applies a lot
Statistical Analysis
Each participant receives both a total score and an average score as a measure of happiness level.
The total score can range from 9 to 45.
The average score can range from 1 to 5.
Validity and Reliability
The scale has been adapted and translated into Greek using independent back-translation methodology. It has been widely used both internationally and in Greek research, demonstrating satisfactory validity.
Reliability indices (Cronbach’s alpha) for the four factors are:
Life Satisfaction: α = 0.89
Vigor: α = 0.87
Positive Affect: α = 0.79
Sociability: α = 0.83
Reference
Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: A compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33(7), 1073–1082.