METHODOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN RESEARCH ON SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING IN TOURISM
Abstract
Subjective well-being has become an important criterion for assessing the human outcomes of tourism, yet evidence on the relationship between tourism experiences and well-being remains difficult to compare and integrate. Differences in how subjective well-being is defined, structured, measured, investigated, and interpreted may lead studies addressing similar questions to examine different phenomena and support conclusions of different evidential strength. The purpose of this study is to systematise the key methodological challenges in research on subjective well-being, examine their interrelationships, and clarify their implications for the validity and comparability of tourism research. The study adopts a conceptual-analytical approach based on an integrative literature review, using critical analysis, comparison, thematic grouping, and conceptual synthesis. The analysis identifies five interconnected domains of methodological decision-making: conceptualisation of subjective well-being, specification of its internal structure, operationalisation, research design, and interpretation of findings. These domains form a sequential and cumulative system rather than independent methodological limitations. Decisions concerning the meaning and boundaries of the construct determine its structural model and indicators; operationalisation determines what is captured empirically; research design defines the strength and scope of evidence; and interpretation establishes which conclusions can reasonably be drawn. Consequently, inconsistencies among tourism studies may arise not only from differences in tourism experiences, populations, or contexts but also from methodological misalignment across successive stages of research. The proposed framework enables researchers to trace such inconsistencies from conceptual assumptions through measurement and design to interpretation. It provides a methodological basis for planning and evaluating tourism studies in which the definition, structure, measurement, design, and interpretation of subjective well-being are mutually consistent. Applying this logic can improve comparability, reduce unsupported generalisations about tourism effects, and strengthen evidence on the contribution of tourism experiences to subjective well-being.
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