The WLI as a Tool for Understanding Social Love: Factors Promoting and Hindering It at the Micro and Macro Levels

Floridi, Federica; Aprile, Rosario; Palmieri, Marco

doi:10.3390/socsci15070461

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The WLI as a Tool for Understanding Social Love: Factors Promoting and Hindering It at the Micro and Macro Levels

by

Federica Floridi

¹,

Rosario Aprile

² and

Marco Palmieri

^3,*

¹

Department of Political and International Sciences, University of Genoa, Piazzale E. Brignole 3, 16125 Genoa, Italy

²

Department of Business Science and Economics, University of Bergamo, Via dei Caniana 2, 24127 Bergamo, Italy

³

Department of Communication and Social Research, La Sapienza University, via Salaria 113, 00198 Rome, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(7), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070461

Submission received: 13 May 2026 / Revised: 2 July 2026 / Accepted: 7 July 2026 / Published: 9 July 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Civic Potential of Love: Solidarity in Action and the Making of the Social)

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Abstract

In what ways can social love be characterized within both micro and macro contexts? This study addresses this question by exploring social love using the World Love Index (WLI) as an analytical tool. The index is articulated into two levels, the Citizens’ WLI and the Institutions’ WLI, corresponding respectively to the micro and macro levels of analysis. Both indices are based on a stipulative definition of social love that comprises four constituent dimensions and are constructed from secondary data from approximately 90 countries worldwide. The WLI indices are analyzed using regression models incorporating contextual variables to identify the main factors that promote or hinder social love. A cluster analysis is also conducted to identify and characterize groups of countries with similar configurations of social love, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon.

Keywords: social love; transnational and longitudinal indices; multiple linear regression; cluster analysis; micro and macro levels

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MDPI and ACS Style

Floridi, F.; Aprile, R.; Palmieri, M. The WLI as a Tool for Understanding Social Love: Factors Promoting and Hindering It at the Micro and Macro Levels. Soc. Sci. 2026, 15, 461. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070461

AMA Style

Floridi F, Aprile R, Palmieri M. The WLI as a Tool for Understanding Social Love: Factors Promoting and Hindering It at the Micro and Macro Levels. Social Sciences. 2026; 15(7):461. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070461

Chicago/Turabian Style

Floridi, Federica, Rosario Aprile, and Marco Palmieri. 2026. "The WLI as a Tool for Understanding Social Love: Factors Promoting and Hindering It at the Micro and Macro Levels" Social Sciences 15, no. 7: 461. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070461

APA Style

Floridi, F., Aprile, R., & Palmieri, M. (2026). The WLI as a Tool for Understanding Social Love: Factors Promoting and Hindering It at the Micro and Macro Levels. Social Sciences, 15(7), 461. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15070461

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The WLI as a Tool for Understanding Social Love: Factors Promoting and Hindering It at the Micro and Macro Levels

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