Meaning in Life Questionnaire
MLQPermission: Free for research use. Free for non-commercial academic research, with no licence fee. Cite the original publication.
A 10-item measure that distinguishes the presence of meaning in life from the active search for meaning.
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Reliability & validation
Subscales
Response anchors
Absolutely untrue · Mostly untrue · Somewhat untrue · Can't say true or false · Somewhat true · Mostly true · Absolutely true
Known limitations
Presence and Search are distinct constructs and should not be collapsed into one total score. Their association and interpretation can differ across age and cultural context.
Original citation
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93.
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80Questions researchers ask
What does the MLQ measure?
A 10-item measure that distinguishes the presence of meaning in life from the active search for meaning.
How many items does the MLQ have?
The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) has 10 items across 2 subscales: Presence of Meaning, Search for Meaning.
Is the MLQ free to use?
The MLQ is free to use for non-commercial academic research. You don't need to pay a license fee, but you should always cite the original publication.
Is the MLQ reliable?
Validation studies report Cronbach's α of 0.82–0.87, test–retest reliability of 0.7–0.73. See the reliability section for the population studied and full statistics.
Who developed the MLQ, and how do I cite it?
Steger, M. F., Frazier, P., Oishi, S., & Kaler, M. (2006). The Meaning in Life Questionnaire: Assessing the presence of and search for meaning in life. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(1), 80-93. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.1.80
Related scales
Library entry verified August 2026. Metadata is provided for reference; item wording is available inside Folio Surveyor, subject to each instrument's licensing.