Existential Well-Being Scale (EWB)

The Existential Well-Being Scale (EWB), developed by Paloutzian and Ellison in 1982, is a 10-item self-report measure of existential meaning and well-being: the sense that one's life has purpose, direction, and intrinsic value. Derived from the larger Spiritual Well-Being Scale (which includes religious well-being), the EWB focuses on the secular dimension of well-being—not faith or religious conviction, but existential satisfaction and sense of purpose. It has become widely used in psychology and health research to assess meaning, life satisfaction, and resilience factors protective against depression, anxiety, and suicide.