This document analyzes survey data from over 1,000 young women ages 18-24 to understand if they are thriving. The survey asked participants about feelings of appreciation, belonging, engagement, goal achievement, purpose, optimism, satisfaction, and confidence. Over half of respondents reported neutral or positive feelings in these areas, with an average thriving score of 41 out of 55. While experiences varied, many young women felt appreciated, engaged, and optimistic about their futures and abilities. Highly thriving young women tend to be ambitious, adaptable planners who aspire to wealth and success. When people thrive, they are better able to handle stress, pursue opportunities, and achieve satisfaction, health, and performance in life and work.

1. THE WAY GIRLS
thrive
An analysis of young women in the United States
Camryn Cobb & Cami Scofield

2. OVERVIEW
01 02 03 04
#THRIVING What does it
mean to
thrive?
The girls
behind the
data
The survey
behind the
data
07
What else
does this
mean?
05
Are young
women
thriving?
06
What do
thriving girls
look like?

3. #thriving

5. Thrive
/THrīv/
To grow or develop vigorously; flourish

6. Google Trends

7. “Thriving describes an individual's experience of
vitality and learning… [It] is a desirable subjective
experience that allows individuals to gauge whether
what they are doing and how they are doing it is
helping them to develop in a positive direction.”
“A Socially Embedded Model of Thriving at Work,”
Spreitzer, Sutcliffe, Dutton, Sonenshein, Grant (2005)
Thriving

8. Google Trends

9. The
girls

10. Sample characteristics
1,227 girls
18-24
Ages

11. The
survey

12. The Survey
Thriving
1. There are people who appreciate
me as a person.
2. I feel a sense of belonging in my
community.
3. In most activities I do, I feel
energized.
4. I am achieving most of my goals.
5. What I do in life is valuable and
worthwhile.
6. My life has a clear sense of
purpose.
7. I am optimistic about my future.
8. My life is going well.
9. I am satisfied with my life.
10. I feel good most of the time.
11. I can succeed if I put my mind to
it.
1 2 3 4 5
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Neither
Agree or
Disagree
Agree Strongly
Agree

13. 1. There are people who appreciate me as a person.
2. I feel a sense of belonging in my community.
3. In most activities I do, I feel energized.
4. I am achieving most of my goals.
5. What I do in life is valuable and worthwhile.
6. My life has a clear sense of purpose.
7. I am optimistic about my future.
8. My life is going well.
9. I am satisfied with my life.
10. I feel good most of the time.
11. I can succeed if I put my mind to it.
To what extent do you agree or disagree
with each of the following statements?

14. The Survey
Thriving
1. There are people who appreciate
me as a person.
2. I feel a sense of belonging in my
community.
3. In most activities I do, I feel
energized.
4. I am achieving most of my goals.
5. What I do in life is valuable and
worthwhile.
6. My life has a clear sense of
purpose.
7. I am optimistic about my future.
8. My life is going well.
9. I am satisfied with my life.
10. I feel good most of the time.
11. I can succeed if I put my mind to
it.
Are young women thriving?
Over half of young women feel
neutral, agree, or strongly agree with
these statements about thriving.
Average score: 41
55
___

16. The largest
amount of girls
have a Thriving
score of 44.

17. Many girls feel appreciated, a sense of belonging,
energized, goal-oriented, valuable, purposeful,
optimistic, satisfied, and like they can succeed if they
put their mind to it.
Young women are THRIVING!

18. They aspire
wealth.
They are life
planners.
They are
adaptable.
Thriving
What are these thriving girls like?

19. What else does this
mean for girls who
are thriving?

20. “Thriving mediates the relationships between
stressors and life satisfaction… thriving individuals
understand what actions can be taken to promote
their perceptions of progress toward
self-development. Thriving not only allows one to
adapt,.. [it] leads to enhanced health, job satisfaction,
and job performance”
“A Challenge or a Hindrance? Understanding the Effects of Stressors and Thriving on
Life Satisfaction,” Flinchbaugh, Luth, Li (2015)

21. Why should you care
if girls are
thriving?

22. THRIVING GIRLS CAN...
● Pay attention to how they feel, so they are better able
to pursue opportunities for learning and recovering
energy
● Become employees who are less susceptible to
burnout, and more likely to take an active role in
developing a successful career path
● Achieve a reduced job strain
● Increase their general health and well-being
“Thriving at work,” Porath, Spreitzer, Gibson, and Garnett (2012)