National Well-Being Does Matter, Says Report

People in the UK believe that National Well-being should be measured, stating health,

friends and family, and job satisfaction as some of the key things that should feature in the measurements according to a report on the National Well-being debate.

The national debate on ‘what matters to you?’ which was launched in November last year, generated over 34,000 responses, online and via events. People across the UK gave their views on the things that matter to them most in life, for their individual well-being and for measuring the well-being of the UK. Common themes to be reflected in the design of measurement indicators are: health; good connections with friends and family; job satisfaction and economic security; present and future conditions of the environment; and education and training. The first set of national well-being indicators will be published in the autumn, for comment and further development.

National Statistician Jil Matheson said: “The response to the debate was huge and thoughtful. The UK public were definitely keen to tell us what is important to them and I am pleased that we have been able to give so many people a place to discuss what national well-being means on both a personal and national level.

“People of all ages highlighted the importance of family, friends, health, financial security, equality and fairness in determining well-being.”

Ms Matheson added: “However, this is not just about holding a debate it is about finding robust ways to measure how society is doing, to complement GDP and other measures of economic growth. As we work up measures of national well-being and progress, we will continue to share our ideas. It is essential that the set of measures of well-being is relevant and well-based in what matters to people, both as individuals and for the UK as a whole.”

As well as holding the debate, the ONS started in April to measure subjective (individual)

well-being by including four new questions in the Integrated Household Survey (IHS).

Around 200,000 people are being asked to rate their ‘life satisfaction’ on a scale of nought to ten, as well as how happy and how anxious they feel, and the extent to which the things they do in life are worthwhile.

(BMcN/GK)