According to the latest figures from the UK’s Office of National Statistics, a range of factors have been identified to assist in the complex calculation of national well-being and happiness in general.
The five month long study found that the British public believes their well-being should be measured in terms of health, friends and family and job satisfaction. The survey included 34,000 people and would help statisticians create the UK's first set of national well-being indicators. The new set of questions will allow the government to measure Britons' subjective quality of life and the figures will be published at regular intervals, perhaps alongside figures on gross domestic product (GDP).
The survey included 175 public events involving 7,250 people, as well as an online questionnaire. Results showed that happiness changed as people age. Children said what made them happy was eating breakfast, computer games, dolls and pushchairs, Christmas and birthdays. For young adults the formula for contentment involved make-up, stylish clothes, music, fast food and alcohol. Older adults put more emphasis on jobs, health and financial security. Most people not only wanted to end global warming but also wanted a personal easy access to a green space. The importance of religion, particularly Christianity was another factor raised.
The ONS is now planning to publish Britain's first national well-being indicators in the autumn, followed by annual life satisfaction ratings in July 2012. Prime Minister David Cameron ordered the research after deciding that the government needed to be informed not only of Britain's economic progress but also on the public's quality of life.
National statistician Jill Matheson said, “The response to the debate was huge and thoughtful. The UK public was 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.” She added, “The UK is not alone in wanting to develop better measures of national well-being. We are working with international partners in developing measures of well-being that will paint a fuller picture of our societies.”
Launching the findings of the wellbeing debate, Sir Gus O'Donnell, the cabinet secretary, said he would be publishing a discussion paper on how to revise the civil service “green book”, which issues guidance to mandarins on how ministerial proposals should be appraised before public funds are committed. He wanted a “social cost/benefit analysis” to be offered by civil servants in the future. “[It's] to give people an idea on how to submit to ministers … how can they frame it in the right way.”
Andrew Oswald, professor of economics at the University of Warwick, said recent research from Californian academics had confirmed that when people found out they were being paid “below average” for their work, they “instantly registered a lower job satisfaction and look for jobs elsewhere. There's nothing intrinsically left or right wing about wellbeing. But it is important for the government to measure it,” said Oswald.
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