A new study led by World Vision suggests that children who feel supported in their relationships and faith are more likely to show stronger signs of hope, resilience and wellbeing.

The research, carried out with academics from institutions including Harvard and Duke, involved more than 4,600 children aged around 10 to 18 across eight countries, including Uganda, Iraq, Bolivia and Sri Lanka.

One researcher said the aim was to understand “how children experience hope in their everyday lives, and what helps that hope grow”.

Children were asked about their relationships, their sense of the future, and what gives their lives meaning. From this, researchers developed a framework they say can measure what they describe as the experience of God’s love in children.

The study identifies six signs of hope: compassion, purpose, resilience, joy, wisdom and personal faith.

“Hope is more than just feeling positive about the future,” one of the researchers said. “It’s about feeling valued, supported and able to keep going when life is difficult.”

As Christians, “personal faith” includes trust in God and engagement with prayer and worship. But researchers also say the other areas of hope are shaped strongly by everyday relationships and community life.

“The experience of God’s love is most often encountered by children through nurturing relationships,” the report says.

A World Vision spokesperson said the findings could help organisations think more broadly about child wellbeing. “It reminds us that children are not just surviving hardship, they are actively shaping meaning and hope in their lives,” they said.