Open Access

ARTICLE

Undergraduate happiness and its influential factors: A meta-analysis of domestic and international quantitative studies

Yan Zhou¹, Wenqian Ding¹, Heyuan Wang^2,*

1 Institute of Teacher Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
2 Institute of Higher Education, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China

* Corresponding Author: Heyuan Wang. Email:

Journal of Psychology in Africa 2026, 36(3), 455-467. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2026.077016

Received 01 December 2025; Accepted 18 May 2026; Issue published 30 June 2026

Abstract

In the post-pandemic era, college students’ well-being has become a key indicator of higher education quality. Although existing studies highlight individual, social, and school-level factors, their findings remain fragmented. This study conducted a meta-analysis of empirical research published between 2020 and 2024 to compare the relative effects of these three dimensions and examine whether sample source or publication type moderates the relationships. Results indicate that students’ happiness is primarily shaped by individual traits and cognitive mechanisms, while social connection and support exert additional positive effects. In contrast, structural factors at the school level show relatively limited influence. Moderation analysis reveals that cultural context and publication type exert only weak moderating effects and cannot fully account for the observed heterogeneity. These findings underscore the multifaceted nature of college students’ well-being and highlight the differential roles of individual, social, and school-level factors in shaping their happiness.

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Keywords

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Material File

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