Article: Measuring national well- being: Life in the UK: 2016€¦ · ending 2015. Net national...

Article:

Measuringnationalwell-being:LifeintheUK:2016AsnapshotoflifeintheUKtodayacrossthe10domainsofnationalwell-being.ItisthefourthannualsummarytobedeliveredbytheMeasuringNationalWell-beingprogramme.

Contact:IanMacrory

Releasedate:23March2016

Tableofcontents1. Mainpoints

2. Introduction

3. Assessingchangeinnationalwell-being

4. SummaryofLifeintheUK,2016

5. Howdoweevaluateourownlives?

6. Howimportantaretherelationshipswehave?

7. Howgoodisourhealth?

8. Howdowespendourtimeandarewesatisfiedwithitsuse?

9. Howdowefeelaboutwherewelive?

10. Howarewecopingfinancially?

11. Howstrongisoureconomy?

12. Howskilledarewe?

13. Howpoliticallyengagedarewe?

14. Areweprotectingournaturalenvironmentforfuturegenerations?

15. Children’swell-being

16. Howsustainableisourfuture?

17. Sources,reportsandsurveysrelatedto'LifeintheUK,2016'

MainpointsOverallnationalwell-beinghasimproved.Ofthe43assessmentsofchange,17haveimproved,8havedeterioratedand11stayedthesame,comparedwith3yearsearlier.

Themajorityofimprovementsrelatetoobjectivemeasuresofnationalwell-beingsuchastheunemploymentrate,whilethemajorityofmeasuresassessedas“deteriorated”aresubjectivemeasures,suchassatisfactionwithhealth,forbothperiodsexamined.

SatisfactionwithhealthintheUKfellfrom66.3%inthefinancialyearending2011to57.8%inthefinancialyearending2014.

Thenumberofcrimesagainstthepersonfellfrom82per1000adultsinthefinancialyearending2012intheUKto57per1000adultsinthefinancialyearending2015.

NetnationaldisposableincomeperheadincreasedintheUKfrom£22,487in2011to£22,786in2014andtheproportionfindingitdifficulttocopefinanciallyfellfrom11.6%to9.1%betweenfinancialyearsending2011and2014.

Between2011and2014,Greenhousegasemissionsfellfrom553.4milliontonnesofcarbondioxideequivalentto514.4milliontonnesofcarbondioxideequivalentintheUK.

1.

IntroductionLifeintheUK2016providesthelatestannualsummaryofchangeintheheadlinemeasuresofnationalwell-being.Organisedinto10domains,suchasHealth,Wherewelive,EducationandskillsandNaturalenvironment,thereporthighlights‘howwearedoing’asindividualsandasanationandhowsustainablethisisforthefuture.Themeasuresincludebothobjectivedata(forexample,healthylifeexpectancy)andsubjectivedata(forexample,satisfactionwithhealth)inordertoprovideamorecompleteviewofthenationthanmeasuressuchasGrossDomesticProduct(GDP)candoalone.

Changeovertimeisassessedintermsofwhethermeasureshaveimproved,deterioratedorshownnooverallchange,coveringthelatestyearforwhichdataareavailableandtheprevious3years.

Acloserlookatthesustainabilityofnationalwell-beingforthefutureistakenusingONSvaluationofstocksofthingslikeeducation,naturalresourcesandcommunitycohesion,knownas“capitals”.Valuingthestockswehavenowprovidesimportantbenchmarkinformationtohelpensuretheycanbesustainedforthefuture.

MeasuresareupdatedinMarchandSeptember.Wherepossible,dataarepresentedfortheUK.Wherethisisnotthecase,thebestavailablegeographyisused.DataarethelatestavailableatMarch2016.

Alsoreleasedtoday:

Nationalwell-beingmeasuresdataset(https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/datasets/measuringnationalwellbeing)containingthelatestdata,timeseriesdataanddetailedinformationonassessmentsofchangeaswellaslinkstodatasources

Staticwheelsummarisinglatestdataandassessmentsofchange(http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc146/Wellbeing-Wheel-March2016-Web.pdf)

Interactivewheelofmeasures(https://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc146/wrapper.html)whichincludeschartsshowingavailabletimeseriesforallmeasures

Interactivechartsshowingthelatestdataforselectedmeasuresbyregionandcountry(https://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc195/wrapper.html)

2.

Assessingchangeinnationalwell-being3.

TheMeasuringNationalWell-being(MNW)programmesetouttoestablishmeasureswhichwouldhelppeopletounderstandnationalwell-being,andalsohelpmonitorit.Thisreportincludesassessmentsshowingthedirectionofchangeforeachofthemeasures,whethertheyhaveimproved,shownnooverallchange,ordeteriorated.Comparisonshavebeenmadewiththepreviousyear’sdata,orthepreviouslypublishedfigurewhereyearonyeardataarenotavailable,aswellasanassessmentofchangeoverathreeyearperiod.Infutureyears,asmoredatabecomeavailable,wewillpublishassessmentsofchangeoveralongertimeseries.

Figure1summarisestheassessmentsofchangeinmeasuresofnationalwell-being.

Figure1:Assessmentsofchange-Nationalwell-beingmeasures

Source:OfficeforNationalStatistics

Notes:Measuresofhealthylifeexpectancyandfeelingsafewalkingaloneafterdarkarepresentedforbothmenandwomen,andsothereare43measurestoassess.

1.

Figuresmaynotaddto100%duetorounding.2.

Lookingatthemostrecentchange:

40%(17measures)hadimproved

30%(13measures)showednooverallchange

9%(4measures)haddeteriorated

21%(9measures)werenotassessed

Overthethreeyearperiod:

40%(17measures)hadimproved

26%(11measures)showednooverallchange

19%(8measures)haddeteriorated

16%(7measures)werenotassessed

Anumberofmeasureshavenotbeenassessed,eitherbecausedataarenotavailableforcomparison,orwherethedirectionofchangeisnotaclearindicationofeitherimprovementordeterioration.

IndividualmeasuresofchangecanbeviewedintheWheelofmeasures(https://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/HTMLDocs/dvc146/wrapper.html).Detailsofhoweachmeasurehasbeenassessedareavailableinthenationalwell-beingmeasuresdataset(https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/datasets/measuringnationalwellbeing).

Itisrecognisedthatthemeasuresonwhichassessmentsofchangehavebeenmadeareheadlinemeasuresandthereforeonlyprovideasnapshotofhownationalwell-beingischanging.Therearemanyothermeasuresthatwillaffectnationalwell-beingthathavenotbeenconsideredhere.However,itishopedthatassessingchangeinthiswaywillhelptosignpostareasinneedofcloserevaluationandintervention.

Youropinionsmattertous,andwewouldwelcomeyourfeedbackonthewayinwhichchangehasbeenassessed.Pleaseemail:[email protected]

SummaryofLifeintheUK,20164.

Overallnationalwell-beinghasimproved.Ofthe41measures,assessmentsofchangeshowthat17haveimprovedwhile8havedeterioratedand11havestayedthesameoverthe3yearperiod1.

Whichareasofourliveshaveimproved?Whileimprovementscontinuetobeseeninpersonalwell-being,withincreasesintheproportionreportingveryhighratingsfortheiroveralllifesatisfaction,theirhappinessyesterday,thesensethatthingsinourlivesareworthwhile,andthosereportingverylowanxietylevels;themajorityofimprovementsinnationalwell-beinghavebeenseeninobjectiveasopposedtosubjectivemeasures.

Areasoflifewhicharegettingbetterincludeourpersonalfinancesandtheeconomy,whererealmedianhouseholdincomeandnetnationaldisposableincomehavebothrisenandtheunemploymentratehasfallen.Afallintheproportionfindingitdifficulttogetbyalsosuggestswearelessconcernedthanwewereaboutourfinances.Inotherareasoflife,healthylifeexpectancycontinuestoriseforbothmenandwomen,thenumberofcrimesagainstthepersonhasfallenandmoreofusturnedouttovoteatthelastgeneralelectionthanthepreviousone.

Improvementshavealsobeenseenacrossenvironmentalmeasures.Greenhousegasemissionshavefallen,theextentofareasdesignatedas‘protected’hasgrownandagrowingproportionofusaccessedthenaturalenvironmentduringthe3yearperiodexamined.Moreenergyhasbeenconsumedfromrenewablesourcesinthelastyearthaninpreviousyearsandrecyclingrateshaverisen,butitistooearlytosaywhethertheseareindicativeoflongtermchanges.

Whichareasofourliveshavedeteriorated?Notallareasofourlivesaregettingbetterandmanyofthemeasuresassessedashaving‘deteriorated’relatetooursatisfactionwithparticularaspects.Despiteincreasesinoverallpersonalwell-being,theproportionssatisfiedwiththeirhealth,accommodation,householdincomeandleisuretimehaveallfallenoverthethreeyearperiod,thoughsatisfactionwithincomeandleisuretimeremainunchangedduringthelatestyear.Populationmentalwell-beingscoresalsofelloverthethreeyearperiodasdidtheproportionwhohadaspouseorpartner,familymemberorfriendtorelyoniftheyhadaseriousproblem.Adultparticipationinsporthasalsofallen.

Howsustainableisourfuture?

Lookingatnationalstocksofthingssuchaseducation,skillsandcompetenciesinthelabourmarket(humancapital)andthevalueofnaturalresourcessuchaswoodlandsandrivers(naturalcapital),thereisamixedmessageaboutsustainabilityforthefuture.Humancapitalrosebetween2013and2014,butremainsbelowlevelsseenbeforethefinancialcrisisandlatestdatafornaturalcapitalshowslongtermdecline.Measuresofthesestocksareunderdevelopmentandworkcontinuesonthedevelopmentofsocialcapital.

AfocusonsustainabledevelopmentisgatheringpacegloballyandnationallyandwearesettoplayakeyroleinreportingandmonitoringUK’sprogressagainstsustainabledevelopmentgoal2(SDGs).TheSDGswereadoptedataUnitedNationssummitin2015,andwewillbedevelopingaframeworkandrelatedindicatorsthatwillconsiderhowbesttoaligntheSDGsandwell-beingagendas.

Notes:

1. Comparisonshavebeenmadewithdatafrom3yearsago,ornearestavailablewhere3yeardataarenotavailable.

2. See'Howsustainableis ourfuturewell-being'section.

Howdoweevaluateourownlives?Anindividual’sthoughtsandfeelingsabouttheirownqualityoflifeisanimportantaspectofwell-being–bothpersonalandnational.Howsatisfiedpeoplearewiththeirlives,theirlevelsofhappinessandanxiety,andwhetherornottheythinkthethingstheydoareworthwhileallhavestronglinkswithmanyelementsofwell-being,forexample,people’shealth,employmentandrelationships.

What’schanged?

5.

Table1:Assessmentsofchange–Personalwell-being

UK

Latestdata 1year 3year

Veryhighratingofsatisfactionwiththeir

livesoverall128.8%

(2014/15)Improved Improved

Veryhighratingofhowworthwhilethe

thingstheydoare134.4%


Ratedtheirhappinessyesterdayasvery

high134.1%


Ratedtheiranxietyyesterdayasverylow140.9%


Populationmentalwell-being224.6/35

(2012/13)

Not

assessedDeteriorated


Notes:

1.Theveryhighratingsoflifesatisfaction,worthwhileandhappinessare

definedasratingsof9or10outof10.Verylowanxietyisdefinedasratingsof

0or1outof10.

2.ShortWarwick–EdinburghMentalWell-beingScale(SWEMWBS)isusedto

calculatepopulationmentalwell-being.

Personalwell-beinghasimprovedThe4measuresofpersonalwell-beingthatweproduceare,howsatisfiedpeoplefeelwiththeirlives,howworthwhiletheyfeelthethingstheydoare,howhappytheywereyesterdayandhowanxioustheyfeltyesterday.Theproportionofthoseaged16andoverthatgavethehighestratingsforall4measuresinthefinancialyearending2015significantlyincreasedcomparedwiththepreviousyear,andwiththefinancialyearending2012,asshowninFigure2.

Betweenthefinancialyearsending2014and2015,thosereportingthehighestratingsoflifesatisfactionincreased2.0percentagepoints,to28.8%.Thiswascloselyfollowedbyratingsofhowworthwhilethethingspeopledoare,whichincreasedby1.9percentagepointsto34.4%.Theproportionofpeoplereportingthehighestlevelsofhappiness,andlowestlevelsofanxietyincreasedby1.5percentagepointsto34.1%,and40.9%respectively.

Improvementacrossall4measuressuggeststhatmorepeopleintheUKarefeelingpositiveabouttheirlivesthaninthefinancialyearending2014.ThePersonalWell-beingintheUK,2014/15(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-09-23)statisticalbulletindiscussesthesemeasuresinmoredetail.

Overthesameperiod,thereweresignificantreductionsintheproportionsofpeoplegivingthelowestratingsofhappiness(down0.8percentagepointsto8.9%),lifesatisfaction(down0.8percentagepointsto4.8%),worthwhile(down0.4percentagepointsto3.8%),andthehighestratingsofanxiety(down0.6percentagepointsto19.4%),(Figure2).

Figure2:Percentagesratingpersonalwell-beingathighestandlowestlevels,financialyearsending2012to20151

UK

Source:AnnualPopulationSurveyPersonalWell-beingNationalStatisticsdataset,OfficeforNationalStatistics

Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereasked'Overall,howsatis fiedareyouwithyourlifenowadays?','Overall,towhatextentdoyoufeelthethingsyoudoinyourlifeareworthwhile?','Overall,howhappydidyoufeelyesterday?'and'Overall,how

1.

anxiousdidyoufeelyesterday?'where0is 'notatall'and10is 'completely'.

Howimportantaretherelationshipswehave?Thenatureofourrelationshipshasanimportantinfluenceonourpersonalwell-being.Strongrelationshipsmayhelpincontributingtoalong,healthyandhappylife.Anarticle“WhatmattersmosttoPersonalWell-being(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-/art-what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-.html#tab-Key-points)”publishedbyusin2013showedthatwhentakingothercircumstancesintoconsideration–relationshipsareoneofthestrongestdriversofpersonalwell-being.Anarticlewepublishedin2015alsoshowedthatchildren’srelationshipswiththeirparents(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-10-20#tab-Parental-relationships)areimportantandcanhaveaninfluenceonchildren’smentalhealth.Converselypoorqualityrelationshipsorlonelinesscanhaveanegativeeffectonourhealthandwell-being,andthismayhaveimportantimplicationsforpolicymakers.

What’schanged?

6.

Table2:Assessmentsofchange–Ourrelationships

UK

Latest

data1year 3year

Averageratingofsatisfactionwithfamilylife8.2/10

(2011)

Not

assessed

Nooverall

change

Averageratingofsatisfactionwithsociallife7.1/10

(2011)

Not

assessed

Nooverall

change

Hasaspouseorpartner,familymemberor

friendtorelyoniftheyhaveaserious

problem

84.1%

(2013/14)

Not

assessedDeteriorated


Howgoodareourrelationships?

Nochangeinaverageratingofsatisfactionwithfamilylifeandsociallifebetween2007and2011Obtainingandmaintainingthecorrectbalancebetweenworkinglifeandhomelifecanbebeneficialtoanindividual’swell-being.Averageratingsofsatisfactionwithfamilylifeandsociallifehaveremainedbroadlyunchangedsince2003.In2011,adultsaged18andoverintheUKscoredtheirsatisfactionwithfamilylifeas8.2outof101(onaverage)and7.1outof10forsatisfactionwiththeirsociallife.Theseratingsshowednooverallchangesincetheprevioussurveyin2007indicatingthattheeconomicdownturnin2008maynothavehadaneffectonpeople’sfamilyandsociallife(EuropeanQualityofLifeSurvey,Eurofound).

Anarticlepublishedbyusaboutinequalitiesinsocialcapital(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-07-09)2showedthatthoseintheirmiddleyearsratedtheirsatisfactionwithfamilyandsociallifeloweronaveragethanotheragegroups.AU-shapewasobservedforsatisfactionwithfamilylife,withthoseaged35to54beingtheleastsatisfiedwiththeirfamilylifeonaverage(7.9outof10)inthefinancialyearending2012.Thoseaged75andoverhadthehighestaveragerating(8.8outof10)ofallagegroupsforsatisfactionwithfamilylife.ThisU-shapewasmoremarkedforsatisfactionwithsociallife,withthoseaged45to54ratingtheirsatisfactionwithsociallifeat6.3outof10onaverage.Thoseaged18to24hadthehighestaveragerating(8.0outof10).

Theproportionwithsomeonetorelyonfellbetween2011and2014Thereisasaying,“aproblemsharedisaproblemhalved”–sohavingsomeonetoturntoforcompanyandsupportintimesofneedisessentialforaperson’swell-being.Over8in10people(84.1%)aged16andoverintheUKhadaspouseorpartner,familymemberorfriendtorelyoniftheyhadaseriousprobleminthefinancialyearending2014;adeteriorationfrom3yearsearlier(86.4%).Havingsomeonetorelyonvariedbyage–inthefinancialyearending2014,88.7%ofpeopleaged65andoverhadsomeonetorelyoncomparedwith76.3%ofthoseaged16to24(UnderstandingSociety,theUKHouseholdLongitudinalSurvey).

Lonelinesshasanimpactonaperson’swell-beingandarangeofpersonalcircumstancessuchaspoorhealth,livingaloneandalackofasupportnetworkarefactorscontributingtofeelingsofloneliness.Werecentlypublishedanarticleaboutlonelinessanditseffectsonolderpeopleandtheirwell-being(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-10-01#tab-Introduction),whichshowedthatthosewhoreportedbeinglonelywere7timesmorelikelytohavelowlifesatisfaction.

Howdoourrelationshipsaffectourpersonalwell-being?

AhigherproportionofmarriedpeopleintheUKreportedaveryhighrating(9to10outof10)oflifesatisfactioncomparedwithothersbetweenApril2014andMarch2015(Figure3).Overathird(34.7%)ofpeoplewhoweremarriedorinacivilpartnershipratedtheirleveloflifesatisfactionasveryhighcomparedwith28.9%ofthosewhowerewidowedorasurvivingcivilpartner,orthosewholivedwiththeirpartner.Peoplewhowereseparatedordivorcedemergedastheleastsatisfied,withonly19.5%ratingtheirlifesatisfactionasveryhigh–lowerthanthosewhoweresingle(21.9%).Peoplewhoweremarriedwerealsotheleastlikelytoreportlowlifesatisfaction.Just2.8%ratedlowlifesatisfaction(0to4outof10),comparedwith3.2%ofcohabitees,6.2%ofsinglepeople,7.2%ofwidowsorsurvivingcivilpartners,and10.4%ofdivorcees.

Figure3:Lifesatisfaction1:bymaritalstatus,April2014toMarch2015

UK


Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereasked"Overall,howsatis fiedareyouwithyourlifenowadays?''where0is 'notatall'and10is 'completely'.

1.

Notes:

1. Usingascalefrom1to10where1indicates“verydissatisfied”and10indicates“verysatisfied”.

2. Ingeneralterms,socialcapitalrepresentssocialconnectionsandallthebenefitstheygenerate.

Howgoodisourhealth?AccordingtotheWhatWorksCentreforWellbeingPublicDialoguesReport,peoplebelievegoodphysicalandmentalhealthisattheheartofwell-being.Thissupportsourearlieranalysiswhichfoundthatwhenallotherfactorsareheldequal,people’sassessmentoftheirhealthisthefactorthatismostcloselylinkedtotheirpersonalwell-being(http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-/art-what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-.html#tab-Key-points).

TheWorldHealthOrganisationdefineshealthas"astateofcompletephysical,mental,andsocialwell-beingandnotmerelytheabsenceofdiseaseorinfirmity."Ifanindividualisingoodhealththeyaremorelikelytobeinemployment,totakeupexerciseandhaveanactivesociallife,whichinturnwillimprovetheiroverallwell-being.However,thesamecanbesaidofthosethathavehighlevelsofwell-being,astheyaremorelikelytohavepositivehealthbehaviourswhichwillencouragegoodhealth.

What’schanged?

7.

Table3:Assessmentsofchange–Health

UK


Healthylifeexpectancyatbirth-Male64.2(2009–

11)Improved Improved

Healthylifeexpectancyatbirth-

Female

66.1(2009–

11)Improved Improved

Somewhat,mostlyorcompletely

satisfiedwithhealth

57.8%

(2013/14)Deteriorated Deteriorated

Percentagewithsomeevidence

indicatingdepressionoranxiety

19.7%

(2013/14)Deteriorated

Nooverall

change

Percentagewhoreportedalong-

termillnessand/ordisability

17.2%(Octto

Dec2015)

Not

assessed

Not

assessed


Doeshowhealthywefeelaffectourpersonalwell-being?Thereisaclearrelationshipbetweenhowpeopleratetheirhealthandhowtheyratetheirpersonalwell-being.

Figure4:Veryhighlevelsoflifesatisfaction1:byself-reportedhealth,April2014toMarch2015

UK


Notes:

AdultsintheUKwhoreportedverygoodorgoodratingsofselfreportedhealth,hadhigherproportionsofveryhighlifesatisfactionwhencomparedwiththosewhoreportedbadorverybadratingsofself-reportedhealthinthefinancialyearending2015(Figure4).Ofthosethatconsideredthemselvestobeinverygoodhealth,37.3%ratedtheirlifesatisfactionasveryhigh,comparedwith11.1%ofthosethatreportedtheywereinverybadhealth.

Adults aged16andoverwereasked'Overall,howsatis fiedareyouwithyourlifenowadays?'where0is 'notatall'and10is 'completely'.VeryHighlifesatis factionis definedasthosethatreportedaratingof9or10outof10.

1.

Healthylifeexpectancyatbirthhasincreasedto64.2formalesand66.1forfemalesDuringtheperiod2009to2011thehealthylifeexpectancyformalesatbirthintheUKwas64.2years,whichwasanimprovementonthepreviousperiod(2006to2008)whenitwas62.5years.Duringthesameperiod,femalehealthylifeexpectancyatbirthalsoimprovedfrom64.2yearsto66.1years.

Figure5:Maleandfemalehealthylifeexpectancyatbirthbetween2000to2002and2009to2011

UK


Thehealthylifeexpectancyforbothmalesandfemaleshasbeenincreasingsince2000to2002(Figure5).Thegapbetweenthesexesin2009to2011healthylifeexpectancyatbirthwas1.9years,withfemalesexpectedtolivemoreyearsin“good”healththantheirmalecounterparts.

Satisfactionwithhealthhasfallen

Theproportionofpeopleaged16andoverintheUKwhoweresomewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfiedwiththeirhealthwaslowerinthefinancialyearending2014(57.8%)thaninthepreviousyear(59.3%).Thewayinwhichpeopleviewtheirhealthiscrucialtowell-being.Althoughwearelivinglongerhealthierlives,wearelesssatisfiedwithourhealth.Thishighlightstheimportanceofconsideringhowpeoplearefeeling,forexample,theirsatisfactionwithhealthalongsidemeasuressuchashealthylifeexpectancies.

Thoseaged75andover,andbetween45and54,hadthelowestproportionsofpeoplesatisfiedwiththeirhealth,50.7%and54.7%respectively.Almosttwo-thirds(66.0%)ofyoungpeopleaged16to24weresomewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfiedwiththeirhealth,with15.2%reportingthattheywerecompletelysatisfiedwiththeirhealth.Aspeoplegetoldertheytendtodevelopmorehealthproblems,sothefactthatthoseaged75andoverhavethelowestproportionsatisfiedwiththeirhealthisnotunexpected.

Figure6:Satisfactionwithhealth1:byage,April2013toMarch2014

UK

Source:UnderstandingSociety,UKHouseholdLongitudinalStudy

Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereaskedtoratetheirsatis factionwiththeirgeneralhealthonascalefromcompletelydissatis fiedtocompletelysatis fied.Thechartaboveincludesthosethatstatedsomewhat,mostlyandcompletelysatis fied.

1.

Figure6showsthattheproportionof45to54and55to64yearoldsthatweresomewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfiedwiththeirhealthwaslowerthanthoseaged65to74.Althoughthesedifferencesaren’tlargeenoughtobeclassifiedas“significant”(i.e.thedifferencesbetweentheagegroupscouldbedowntochance),theyfollowasimilartrendtotherecentlypublishedpersonalwell-beingdata(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/atwhatageispersonalwellbeingthehighest).Thisshowedthattheagegroupthatwasleastsatisfiedwiththeirlifeoverallwas45to54.Suggestedreasonsforlowerlifesatisfactionamongstthisagegroupincludedmanagingthehome,balancingworkandfamilycommitmentsandcaringforparentsandchildren.Thesereasonscouldalsobebehindalowerproportionreportingfeelingsomewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfiedwiththeirhealth.

IncreaseintheproportionindicatingsomedepressionoranxietyInthefinancialyearending2014theproportionofpeopleaged16andoverintheUKthatshowedsomeevidenceofanxietyordepression,accordingtotheGeneralHealthQuestionnaire(GHQ-12)increasedto19.7%,from18.3%inthepreviousyear.Mentalhealthisafactorthataffectswell-being.Peoplewithpositivementalhealthwillfeelgoodaboutthemselves,andwillfeeltheyarebetterequippedtocopewiththeirproblems,whereasthosepeoplethatindicatedepressionoranxietymayfindthismorechallenging.Thiswillundoubtedlyimpactonpersonalandthereforenationalwell-being.

Ahigherproportionofwomen(22.5%)thanmen(16.8%)indicatedtheyhadsomefeelingsofdepressionoranxietyinthefinancialyearending2014.Theagegroupwiththehighestproportionindicatingdepressionoranxietywas45to54yearolds(22.8%),whereasthelowestwasthoseaged65to74(14.4%)(UnderstandingSociety,UKHouseholdLongitudinalStudy).

ArecentreportpublishedbyNHSEnglandoutlinedthatpreventionofmentalhealthproblemsshouldbemadeapriority.Carers,healthcareprofessionalsandthosethathavelivedwithmentalhealthproblemshighlightedthatamongstotherareas,ensuringgoodoverallphysicalandmentalhealthandwell-beingwillassistinthepreventionofmentalhealthproblems.

TheWorldHappinessReportcitesresearchthatfoundoverhalfofchildrenwhohaveamentalhealthproblemwillsufferfrommentalill-healthasadults,thereforeitisimportanttotackletheissueasearlyinlifeaspossible.Italsoexplainsthatmentalhealthproblemssuchasdepressioncanbemoredisablingthanphysicalproblemssuchasarthritisorasthma.Inarecentpublicationwefoundthatchildrenwhospent3ormorehoursonsocialmediaadayweremorelikelytoreportmentalill-healthsymptoms.Thereportalsoprovidesmoreindepthanalysisofchildren’swell-being(http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/children-and-young-people-s-well-being-in-the-uk--october-2015/index.html).

Howdowespendourtimeandarewesatisfiedwithitsuse?Whatwedoinlifeshapesourlifestyles,ourrelationshipswithothersandourwell-being.Peoplehavemanydifferentlifestylesbasedonindividualchoices,characteristics,personalpreferencesandcircumstances.Individualsdividetheirtimebetweenvarioustasksandactivities,includingpaidorunpaidemployment,volunteeringandnumerousleisureactivities.

What’schanged?

Table4:Assessmentsofchange–Whatwedo

8.

UK(unlessotherwisespecified)


Unemploymentrate

5.1%(Nov

2015toJan

2016)

Improved Improved

Somewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfied

withtheirjob

78%

(2013/14)

No

overall

change

Nooverall

change

Volunteeredmorethanonceinthelast

12months

17.4%

(2012/13)

No

overall

change

Not

assessed

Somewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfied

withtheiramountofleisuretime

57.2%

(2013/14)

No

overall

change

Deteriorated

Engagedwith/participatedinartsor

culturalactivityatleast3timesinlast

year(England)

82.4%

(2014/15)

No

overall

change

Nooverall

change

Adultparticipationin30minutesof

moderateintensitysport,onceperweek

(England)

35.8%(Oct

2014toSep

2015)

No

overall

change

Deteriorated


TheunemploymentratehasfallenInthe3monthstoJanuary2016,theunemploymentrate1was5.1%;animprovementonbothayearearlier(5.7%)andNovembertoJanuary2013(7.8%)(Figure7).Theannualdecreasewasequivalentto171,000people.Thereisstrongevidencethatworkisgoodforphysicalandmentalhealthandwell-being2.Inthe3monthstoJanuary2016,theproportionaged16to64inworkgrewfrom73.3%to74.1%,equivalentto478,000peoplecomparedwithayearearlier.

Figure7:Unemploymentrate1,seasonallyadjusted,NovembertoJanuary2011toNovembertoJanuary2016

UK

Source:LabourForceSurvey,OfficeforNationalStatistics

Notes:

NochangeinsatisfactionwithjobsJobsatisfactionisconsideredastrongpredictorofoverallindividualwell-being.Inthefinancialyearending2014,nearly8in10(78.0%)adultsaged16andoverintheUKreportedthattheyweresomewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfiedwiththeirjob.Thiswasbroadlyunchangedsincethefinancialyearending2013(77.6%)andthefinancialyearending2011(78.5%).Justover1in10(12.7%)adultsreportedbeingsomewhat,mostlyorcompletelydissatisfiedwiththeirjobinthefinancialyearending2014(UnderstandingSociety,theUKHouseholdLongitudinalSurvey).

Theunemploymentrateis calculatedasthenumberofunemployedpeopleaged16andoverdividedbytheeconomicallyactivepopulationforthatagegroup.

1.

NochangeintheproportionvolunteeringVolunteeringmayhavebenefitsforanindividual’shealthandwell-beingandcanmakeadifferencetothelivesofotherpeople,thecommunityortheenvironment.Inthefinancialyearending2013,17.4%ofpeopleaged16andoverintheUKdidsomesortofunpaidhelporvolunteeringseveraltimesayearormoreinthe12monthspriortointerview.Thiswasbroadlyunchangedfromthefinancialyearending2011(16.7%)(UnderstandingSociety,theUKHouseholdLongitudinalSurvey).

Accordingtoouranalysis,thevalueoffrequentvolunteering(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/household-satellite-accounts/valuing-voluntary-activity-in-the-uk/art--valuing-voluntary-activity-in-the-uk.html#tab-abstract)(thosewhovolunteeredatleastonceamonth)was£23.9billioninthefinancialyearending2013.

Nochangeinsatisfactionwithamountofleisuretime,followingadeteriorationbetween2011and2014Theamountandqualityofleisuretimeisimportantforpeople’swell-beingforthedirectsatisfactionitbrings.Overhalf(57.2%)ofadultsaged16andoverweresomewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfiedwiththeiramountofleisuretimeinthefinancialyearending2014–nooverallchangefromayearearlier(58.2%),andadeteriorationsincethefinancialyearending2011(60.9%).Overaquarter(27.8%)reportedthattheyweresomewhat,mostlyorcompletelydissatisfiedwiththeiramountofleisuretimeinthefinancialyearending2014(UnderstandingSociety,theUKHouseholdLongitudinalSurvey).

Nochangeinparticipationinsports,artsandcultureAreport“QuantifyingandValuingtheWell-beingImpactsofCultureandSport”publishedin2014bytheDepartmentforCulture,MediaandSportidentifiedstatisticallysignificantassociationsbetweenculturalandsportengagementandindividualwell-beingandarangeofothersocialimpacts.

Over8in10(82.4%)adultsaged16andoverinEnglandengagedwith,orparticipatedin,artsorculturalactivity3atleast3timesintheyearpriortointerviewinthefinancialyearending2015(TakingPartSurvey,DepartmentforCulture,MediaandSport).

BetweenOctober2014andSeptember2015,overathird(35.8%)ofadultsaged16andoverinEnglandparticipatedinatleast30minutesofsportatmoderateintensityatleastonceaweek,equivalentto15.7millionpeople.Thiswasbroadlyunchangedfromayearearlier(36.1%)butadeteriorationsinceOctober2011toOctober2012(36.9%).BetweenOctober2014andSeptember2015,morethanhalf(57.4%)ofadultsdidnotparticipateinatleast30minutesofmoderateintensitysportonaregularbasis.Menweremorelikelythanwomentoparticipateonceaweek(40.7%and31.2%respectively).Whenanalysedbyagegroupoverthesameperiod,55.2%aged16to25participatedonceaweekcomparedwith32.1%aged26andover(ActivePeopleSurvey,SportEngland).

Theamountandqualityofleisuretimeisalsoimportantforchildren’swell-being.Wepublishedanarticlein2015whichexploredsportsparticipationandengagementandparticipationinartsorculturalactivityamongchildren(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/children-and-young-people-s-well-being-in-the-uk--october-2015/index.html).Thereportshowedthatalmostallchildren(96.7%)hadengagedwithorparticipatedinartsorculturalactivitiesatleast3timesinthelastyear.Most(75.7%)haddonesoatleastonceinthelastweek.In2014to2015,8in10(78.2%)childrenhadparticipatedinsportinthelastweek.Almost7outof10(69.1%)childrenaged5to10yearsand9outof10(89.5%)childrenaged11to15yearshadparticipatedinsport.

Howdoesoureconomicactivityaffectlifesatisfaction?“PublicDialogues”,areportpublishedbyWhatWorksCentreforWell-beingstatedthat,“Themainvalueofworkformanyisfinancialsecurity,stabilityandfeelingsafe.Atitsbestworkandlearningcanbringachievementandopportunity.”Toboostthenumberofjobsandcreateaflexiblelabourmarket,thegovernmenthasanumberofpoliciesincludingmodernisingemploymentlawandprovidingjobsearchsupport.

Figure8:Lifesatisfaction1:byeconomicactivity,April2014toMarch2015

UK


Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereasked"Overall,howsatis fiedareyouwithyourlifenowadays?",where0is "notatall"and10is "completely".

1.

Ahigherproportionofeconomicallyinactive4peopleintheUKreportedaveryhighrating(9or10outof10)oflifesatisfaction(32.4%),comparedwiththosewhowereeitherinemployment(27.3%)orunemployed(18.8%)betweenApril2014andMarch2015(Figure8).Theeconomicallyinactivegroupcontainalargerproportionofpeoplewhoareretiredordonotneedtowork,forexample,becausetheyareinfull-timeeducation.Theseindividualsmighthavemorefreetimetospendonactivitieswhichpromotetheirwell-beingsuchaspursuingapastime.However,thoseinemploymentweretheleastlikelytoreportlowlifesatisfaction.Just2.9%ratedlowlifesatisfaction(0to4outof10),comparedwith12.5%ofthoseunemployedand6.9%whowereeconomicallyinactive(AnnualPopulationSurvey,OfficeforNationalStatistics).

Notes:

1. Theunemploymentrateiscalculatedasthenumberofunemployedpeopleaged16andoverdividedbytheeconomicallyactivepopulationforthatagegroup.

2. GordonWaddell,AKimBurton-IsWorkGoodforyourHealthandWell-being?

3. Thiscoversengagementorparticipationinthearts(excludingreadingforpleasure),museumsandgalleries,libraries,archivesandheritagesites.

4. Theeconomicallyinactivearedefinedaspeoplewhoarenotinemploymentorunemployed.Theseincluderetirement,beinginfull-timeeducation,beingillordisabledandunabletowork,lookingafterahomeorfamily,beingacarerofanotheradult,orsimplynotneedingtoworkwhichmeansthattheyarenotparticipatinginthelabourmarket,buttheirreasonsfornotdoingsoarequitediverseasaretheircircumstances.

Howdowefeelaboutwherewelive?Positivefeelingsaboutwherewelivecancreateastrong,inclusivecommunitywherepeoplefeelthattheybelong,andwheretheyfeelsafe.Inturncommunitiesthatarestrongaremorelikelytodeliverhigherratesofsocialandcivicparticipation,lowerratesofcrime,andimprovedphysicalandmentalhealthamongitsinhabitants.

What’schanged?

9.

Table5:Assessmentsofchange–Wherewelive


Latest

data1year 3year

Agreed/agreedstronglytheyfeltthey

belongedtotheirneighbourhood

63.3%

(2011/12)Deteriorated

Not

assessed

Feltfairly/verysafewalkingaloneafter

dark(men)(EnglandandWales)

85.8%

(2014/15)

Nooverall

change

Nooverall

change

Feltfairly/verysafewalkingaloneafter

dark(women)(EnglandandWales)

61.7%

(2014/15)ImprovedDeteriorated

Crimesagainsttheperson(per1,000

adults)(EnglandandWales)

57


Fairly/verysatisfiedwiththeir

accommodation(England)

89.2%

(2013–

14)

Deteriorated Deteriorated

Householdswithgoodtransportaccessto

keyservicesorwork(2011=100)

(England)

106

(2013)

Nooverall

change

Nooverall

change

Accessednaturalenvironmentatleast

onceaweekinthelast12months

(England)

59%

(2014/15)

Nooverall

changeImproved


ProportionfeelingtheybelongtotheirneighbourhoodhasfallenInthefinancialyearending2012,over6in10(63.3%)peopleaged16andoverintheUKagreedorstronglyagreedthattheybelongedtotheirneighbourhood,adeteriorationfromfinancialyearending2010(66.0%).

Theproportionofpeoplewhoreportedbelongingtotheirneighbourhoodincreasedwithage.Justunderhalf(49.0%)ofthoseaged16to24agreedorstronglyagreedthattheybelongedtotheirneighbourhoodcomparedwith81.1%ofthoseaged75andover(UnderstandingSociety,theUKHouseholdLongitudinalStudy).

InJuly2015wepublishedananalysisofsocialcapital(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-01-29#tab-Trust-and-Cooperative-Norms)intheUKwhichincludesotheraspectsofbelongingtoaneighbourhoodsuchastrustandsocialnetworks.

ProportionfeelingsafeafterdarkhasincreasedforwomenbutnotmenFeelingsafeinthelocalneighbourhoodcanbeanimportantfactorforaperson’ssenseofsatisfactionintheareaaroundthem.Agoodindicatorofthisistofindoutwhetherapersonfeelssafewalkingaloneafterdarkintheirlocalarea.IntheyearendingMarch2015,85.8%ofmenand61.7%ofwomenaged16andoverinEnglandandWalesreportedthattheyfeltfairlyorverysafewalkingaloneafterdark.ComparedwiththeyearendingMarch2014,thisrepresentednochangeformen(85.1%)butasignificantimprovementforwomen(58.0%)(CrimeSurveyforEnglandandWales,OfficeforNationalStatistics).

Numberofcrimesagainsttheperson(per1,000adults)hasfallenCrimecanhaveanimpactonaperson’smentalandphysicalhealthduetolimitedactivityandcanaffectaperson’swell-beingduetoisolationorlimitedsocialcohesion.IntheyearendingMarch2015,therewereanestimated57personalcrimesper1,000adultsaged16andoverinEnglandandWales.Thiswasanimprovementonthepreviousyear(66per1,000adults)andanimprovementsincetheyearendingMarch2012(82per1,000adults)(CrimeSurveyforEnglandandWales,OfficeforNationalStatistics).

Proportionofhouseholdssatisfiedwiththeiraccommodationhasfallen

Justunder9in10(89.2%)householdsinEnglandinthefinancialyearending2014reportedthattheywereveryorfairlysatisfiedwiththeiraccommodation,adeteriorationfromayearearlier(90.6%)andsincethefinancialyearending2011(90.8%).Variationsexistbytenure.Ouranalysisin2015showedthatpersonalwell-beingishigheramonghouseholdswhoownedtheirownhomethanthosewhorented(http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/personal-well-being-in-the-uk--2014-15/sty-personal-well-being-and-housing-tenure.html).

Inthefinancialyearending2014,93.8%ofowner-occupierssaidthattheywereveryorfairlysatisfiedwiththeiraccommodationwhile3.3%statedtheywereslightlyorverydissatisfied.Incomparison,80.6%ofsocialrentersand81.8%ofprivaterenterswereeitherveryorfairlysatisfied(EnglishHousingSurvey,DepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment).

TraveltimetokeyservicesTheproximityofhousingtoarangeofemployment,servicesandfacilities,aswellaspublictransportinfrastructurecouldhaveabearingonthesatisfactionlevelwiththeareainwhichpeopleliveandinturncontributetotheirwell-being.

TheaverageminimumtraveltimeacrossEnglandtoaselectionof8keyservices1in2014bypublictransportorwalkingwas17minutes.However,therewasconsiderablevariationinthesetimesbetweenthoselivinginurbanareas(15minutes)andthoselivinginruralareas(27minutes).

Lookedatinmoredetail,theaverageminimumtraveltimetothenearestservicebypublictransportorwalkingwaslowestforfoodstoresandprimaryschools(9minutes)andhighestforhospitals(37minutes).(DepartmentforTransportJourneyTimeStatistics).

6in10ofusvisittheoutdoorsforleisureatleastonceaweekAccesstoaparkorgreenspacecanhavewide-rangingbenefitsforourhealthandwell-being.Stakeholdersinthe“WhatWorksCentreforWell-being”communitywell-beingevidenceprogrammereportedthatnatureandgreenoropenspacewereoneofthefactorsthatcontributedtomaking“agoodplace”.

Inthefinancialyearending2015,nearly6in10(59%)ofadultsaged16andoverinEnglandreportedthattheyvisitedtheoutdoorsforleisure,awayfromhome,atleastonceaweekinthe12monthspriortointerview.Therewasnooverallchangefromayearearlier(58%)butanimprovementsincethefinancialyearending2012(55%).While13%reportedthattheyvisitedonadailybasis,nearly1in10(8%)statedthattheyhadnotvisitedtheoutdoorsintheprevious12months(MonitorofengagementwiththeNaturalEnvironment,NaturalEngland2).

Doesvisitingthenaturalenvironmentaffectourwell-being?Variousstudieshavedemonstratedassociationsbetweenaccesstolocalgreenspaceandpopulationhealthandwell-being.Peoplelivinginareaswithhighquantitiesofgreenspacehavebeenfoundtohavebetterhealth,asmeasuredusingbothself-reporteddatafromsurveys,andrecordsofmorbidityandmortalityrates(Maasetal.,2006,2009;MitchellandPopham,2007,2008).

Figure9a:Averagelifesatisfactionratings1byvisitstothenaturalenvironment2,April2013toMarch2014

England

Source:MonitorofengagementwiththeNaturalEnvironment,NaturalEngland

Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereasked'Overall,howsatis fiedareyouwithyourlifenowadays?',where0is 'notatall'and10is 'completely'.Doesnotincludethosewhoreported'don'tknow'.

1.

Peoplerespondingthattheyspentleisuretimeoutofdoorsawayfromhomemorethanonceperday,everyday,orseveraltimesaweek,wereclassedasmostregularvis itors;peoplerespondingwithonceaweekoronceortwiceamonthwereclassedaslessregularvis itors;andpeoplerespondingwithonceevery2to3months,onceortwice,orneverwereclassedasleastregularvis itors.

2.

Figure9b:Averageworthwhileratings1byvisitstothenaturalenvironment2,April2013toMarch2014

England


Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereasked'Overall,towhatextentdoyoufeelthethingsyoudoinyourlifeareworthwhile?',where0is 'notatall'and10is'completely'.Doesnotincludethosewhoreported'don'tknow'.

1.


2.

Figure9c:Averagehappinessratings1byvisitstothenaturalenvironment2,April2013toMarch2014

England


Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereasked'Overall,howhappydidyoufeelyesterday?',where0is 'notatall'and10is 'completely'.Doesnotincludethosewhoreported'don'tknow'.

1.


2.

Figure9d:Averageanxietyratings1byvisitstothenaturalenvironment2,April2013toMarch2014

England


Notes:Adults aged16andoverwereasked'Overall,howanxiousdidyoufeelyesterday?'where0is 'notatall'and10is 'completely'.Doesnotincludethosewhoreported'don'tknow'.

1.


2.

Inthefinancialyearending2014(thelatestdataavailable)themostregularvisitorstothenaturalenvironmentinthe12monthspriortointerviewhadsignificantlyhigherlevelsofpersonalwell-being(lifesatisfaction,worthwhile,happinessandanxiety)thanthosewhovisitedlessregularly(Figures9atod).

However,therelationshipmaybemerelyassociativeandwhetherfrequencyofvisitingnaturalenvironmentsinfluenceswell-beingorhavinghigherwell-beingcausesmorenaturalenvironmentvisitsisunclear.

Notes:

1. TheDepartmentforTransportmeasuresaccessto8keyservicesinEnglandbypublictransport,walking,andothermodesoftransportthatareusedinaccessibilityplanningbylocalauthorities.The8keyservicesare:Employmentcentres;primaryschools;secondaryschools;furthereducationinstitutions;GPs;hospitals;foodstores;andtowncentres.

2. SimilardataforScotlandareavailablefromScotland'sPeopleandNatureSurveyandforWalesfromtheWelshOutdoorRecreationSurvey.

Howarewecopingfinancially?Personalwell-beingisstronglyrelatedtothelevelsofwealthandincomeofthehousehold(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/debt/articles/wealthingreatbritainwave3/2015-09-04)inwhichapersonlivesaccordingtoourresearch.TheNationalDebateonMeasuringNationalWell-being(http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/well-being/publications/findings-from-the-national-well-being-debate.pdf)illustratedthatpersonalfinancecanhaveasignificantimpactonpeople'ssenseofwell-being.Oneresponseduringthedebatestated;“It'snotabouthavingmillionsofpounds,butworkingandearningagoodamounttokeepmyselfandanyfuturefamilyIhavesafeandwell".

What'schanged?

10.

Table6:Assessmentsofchange–Personalfinance



Percentagewhoweresomewhat,mostly

orcompletelysatisfiedwiththeincomeof

theirhousehold

53.7%

(2013/14)

No

overall

change

Deteriorated

Percentagewhoreportfindingitquiteor

verydifficulttogetbyfinancially

9.1%


Medianwealthperhousehold,including

pensionwealth(GreatBritain)

£225,100(July

2012toJune

2014)

Not

assessed

Not

assessed

Realmedianhouseholdincome£25,660


Percentageofindividualslivingin

householdswithlessthan60%of

medianincomeafterhousingcosts

21%

(2013/14)

No

overall

change

Nooverall

change


Smallerproportionweresatisfiedwiththeincomeoftheirhouseholdinfinancialyearending2014thaninfinancialyearending2011

Inthefinancialyearending2014,thepercentageofpeopleaged16andoverintheUKthatweresomewhat,mostly,orcompletelysatisfiedwiththeirlevelofincomewasbroadlyunchangedat53.7%whencomparedwiththeyearearlier(53.4%).However,overthe3yearperiod(financialyearending2011tofinancialyearending2014)theproportionofthosesatisfiedwiththeirincomedecreasedfrom57.2%to53.7%.Satisfactionwithincomefellsteadilybetween2007andthefinancialyearending2011,andwasfollowedbya4.5percentagepointdropinthefinancialyearending2012.Whiletheincreaseinthefinancialyearsending2013and2014showssomeimprovementinthistrend,itremainsbelowthelevelsseenpriortotheeconomicdownturnin2008.

Satisfactionwithincomevarieswithage.Aspeoplegetoldertheyaremorelikelytohavepaidofftheirmortgageandhavelessexpenditureeachmonth,whichcouldimpactontheirattitudetowardstheirincome.Figure10showsthatinthefinancialyearending2014,therewasalargerproportionofthose75andoverwhoweresatisfiedwiththeirlevelofincome(67.8%)comparedwithanyotheragegroup.Forthesameyear,45to54yearoldshadasignificantlylowerproportionsatisfiedwiththeirincome(47.1%)whencomparedwithallpeopleaged16andover(53.7%).

Figure10:Somewhat,mostlyorcompletelysatisfiedwiththeincomeoftheirhousehold:byage,April2013toMarch2014

UK

Source:UnderstandingSociety,UKHouseholdLongitudinalStudy

Smallerproportionfindingitquiteorverydifficulttogetbyfinanciallyinfinancialyearending2014thaninfinancialyearending2011Around1in10(9.1%)peopleaged16andoverintheUKreportedfindingitquiteorverydifficulttogetbyfinanciallyinthefinancialyearending2014.Thiswas1.0percentagepointlowerthanayearearlierand2.5percentagepointslowerthan3yearsearlier,continuingthedownwardtrendsinceitpeakedat12.3%inthefinancialyearending2010.Despitefallinginrecentyears,theproportionofindividualsthatreportfindingitdifficulttogetbyfinanciallyremainsabovepre-economicdownturnlevels,whichin2007was6.0%(UnderstandingSociety,theUKHouseholdLongitudinalStudy).

Top10%ofhouseholdsholdaround45%ofallhouseholdwealthThemedianhouseholdwealthforGreatBritain,includingpensionwealth,was£225,100betweenJuly2012andJune2014comparedwith£216,500betweenJuly2010andJune2012accordingtotheWealthandAssetsSurvey(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/compendium/wealthingreatbritainwave4/2012to2014).Thedistributionofwealthishighlyskewed,withthetop10%ofhouseholdsholdingaround45%ofallhouseholdwealth.Asaresult,thewealthofindividualhouseholdsvariesconsiderably.Belongingtothewealthiest10%ofhouseholdsrequiredtotalwealthgreaterthan£1,048,500.Tobeinthebottom10%ofthedistribution,ahousehold’svalueoftotalwealthneededtobelessthan£12,600.

Figure11:Distributionofhouseholdwealthincludingpensionwealth1:byregion,July2012toJune2014

GreatBritain

Source:WealthandAssetsSurvey,OfficeforNationalStatistics

Notes:

MediantotalhouseholdwealthintheSouthEastandSouthWestofEnglandwasmorethandoublethatintheNorthEastofEnglandintheperiodJuly2012toJune2014(Figure11).TheSouthEastofEngland’smedianwasaround£192,000greaterthantheNorthEast’smedian.

AcrossGreatBritaininthesameperiod,theNorthEastofEnglandandYorkshireandTheHumberhadthelowestmediantotalhouseholdwealth,at£150,000and£173,000respectively.ThegreatestmediantotalhouseholdwealthwasintheSouthEastofEngland,at£342,400,followedbytheSouthWestat£308,800andtheEastofEnglandat£267,200.

Excludesassetsheldintrusts(exceptChildTrustFunds)andanybusinessassetsheldbyhouseholds.Basedonindividualresponseswithinhouseholds.

1.

RealmedianhouseholddisposableincomehasimprovedThemedianhouseholddisposableincome1intheUKforthefinancialyearending2015hasincreasedto£25,700,comparedwith£24,800(in2014/15prices)inthepreviousyear.

Medianhouseholdincomeistheincomeofthemiddlehouseholdifallhouseholdsarerankedfromthelowestincometothehighest,andthereforeitgivesanindicationoftheincomeofthe“typical”household.

MedianhouseholddisposableincomeintheUKinthefinancialyearending2015is£1,500higherthanitsrecentlowinthefinancialyearending2013,afteraccountingforinflationandhouseholdcomposition,andisatasimilarleveltoitspre-downturnvalueinthefinancialyearending2007(£25,400).(NationalAccounts,OfficeforNationalStatistics).

Percentageofthoselivinginhouseholdswithlessthan60%ofmedianincomeafterhousingcostsremainsunchangedTheproportionofindividualsintheUKlivinginhouseholdswithlessthan60%ofmedianincomeafterhousingcostswasbroadlyunchangedbetweenthefinancialyearsending2009and2014,witharound1in5(21%)doingsoin2014.Theproportionhasbeenonageneraldownwardtrendsincethefinancialyearending1999,dropping3percentagepointsbetweenfinancialyearsending1999and2014(FamilyResourcesSurvey,DepartmentforWorkandPensions).

Notes:

1. Adjustedforpricechangestoallowforcomparisonovertime

Howstrongisoureconomy?Theeconomymakesanimportantcontributiontonationalwell-being.Financialstabilityandlowinflationareimportantforeconomicgrowth.Withoutfinancialstability,banksaremorereluctanttofinanceprofitableprojectswhichinturnaffectjobsandwages.

11.

ChangeinGrossDomesticProduct(GDP)isanacceptedmeasureofeconomicprogressand,formanyyears,hasbeenusedasakeyindicatorfor“howsocietyisdoing”.However,ithaslongbeenrecognisedthatGDPdoesnotcaptureeverythingthatdeterminessociety’swell-being,norwasitdesignedtodoso.Wepublishaquarterlyeconomicwell-beingarticle(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/economicwellbeing/2015-03-31)thatpresentsasetofeconomicindicatorsdesignedtogiveabroaderpictureoftheeconomyfromtheindividualandhouseholdperspectivetosupplementGDP.

What'schanged

Table7:Assessmentsofchange–Economy

UK


Realnetnationaldisposableincomeper

head

£22,786

(2014)Improved Improved

UKpublicsectornetdebtasapercentageof

GrossDomesticProduct

83.7%

(2014/15)

Not

assessed

Not

assessed

Inflationrate(asmeasuredbytheConsumer

Pricesindex)

0.3%

(January

2016)

Not

assessed

Not

assessed


RealnetnationaldisposableincomehasimprovedNetnationaldisposableincome(NNDI)adjustsGDPtoreflecttheincomeavailabletoresidentsofthecountryfromproduction(athomeorabroad).Thismeasureincludesincomethatisavailabletobusinessesandthegovernment,aswellashouseholds.

In2014,real(adjustedforinflation)NNDIperheadwas£22,786,animprovementon2013(£22,463)and2011(£22,487).Lookingoverthelastdecade,realNNDIperheadpeakedat£23,503in2007,andwasatitslowestin2009at£21,889(OfficeforNationalStatistics).

UKpublicsectornetdebtasapercentageofGDPhasmorethandoubledsince2008Ahighlevelofgovernmentborrowingwillresultinmoneyhavingtobespentrepayingthatdebt.Thiscanleadtobothareductionininvestmentandarequirementonfuturegenerationstocontinuepayingoffthesedebts,whichcouldinturnhaveanegativeimpactonnationalwell-being.However,publicsectordebtincreasesarenotnecessarilybadfornationalwell-being.Forexample,agovernmentmayborrowtoinvestininfrastructureprojectsortrainingthatwillbenefitindividualsandbusinessesinthelong-term.

Inthefinancialyearending2008,publicsectornetdebt(totalgrossfinancialliabilitieslessliquidfinancialassets)stoodat36.9%ofGDP.Bythefinancialyearending2015,thishadmorethandoubledto83.7%ofGDP(OfficeforNationalStatistics).

Inflationrate(asmeasuredbytheConsumerPricesIndex1)remainsatarecordlowTherateofinflationisimportantforwell-beingbecauseofitseffectonincomeandnetwealth.ThePersonalFinancesectionofthisreleaseconsidershouseholdincome,adjustedforinflation.

InJanuary2016,therateofinflationwas0.3%,thesamerecordlowas2015,andmuchlowerthanduring2011(4.0%)and2012(3.6%).Thefallintherateofinflationisacontinuationofadownwardtrendthatstartedin2012.Muchoftherecentdownwardpressureisaccountedforbyfallingenergy,foodandfuelprices.Thispartiallyreflectstherecentdeclineinoilprices,theappreciationofsterlingandstrongcompetitionamongretailers(OfficeforNationalStatistics,ConsumerPricesIndex).

Whatareourperceptionsoftheeconomy?

Figure12showsthatinNovember2015,53%ofpeoplethoughtthesituationoftheeconomywasgood.However,thestateoftheeconomyhadvariedoverthepast10years.InSeptember2006and2007,aroundtwo-thirdsofpeople(69%and63%respectively)reportedthattheythoughtthestateoftheeconomywasgoodbutbythestartofthefinancialcrisisinOctober2008thishadfallentojust18%.Afterfallingto15%inNovember2011ithassubsequentlyriseneachyear(Eurobarometer).

Figure12:Satisfactionwiththeeconomy1,September2006toNovember2015

UK

Source:Eurobarometer

Notes:

Notes:

Respondentsaged15andoverwereasked"Howwouldyoujudgethecurrents ituationoftheeconomy?"Goodis "verygood"or"rathergood"andbadis "verybad"or"ratherbad".

1.

1. TheConsumerPricesIndex(CPI)is theinflationmeasureusedinthegovernment’stargetforinflation.TheBankofEnglandhasresponsibilityforkeepingCPIclosetoatargetsetbythegovernment(2%asof2011).

Howskilledarewe?Educationisanimportantfactorinenablingpeopletomaximisetheopportunitiesavailabletothem,achievetheirpotentialandmakeacontributiontothecountry’seconomy.Educationalqualificationsareanimportantdeterminantoffutureemploymentandincome.AccordingtotheWhatWorksCentreforWell-being’sPublicDialogues,“Learning-bothformalandinformal–atitsbestgivesusasenseofhope,opportunityandgrowth”.

What'schanged?

Table8:Assessmentsofchange–Educationandskills


Latestdata 1year 3years

FullHumancapital1£18.95

trillion

(2014)

ImprovedNooverall

change

Percentagewith5A*-CGCSEsincluding

MathsandEnglish(England)

53.8%

(2014/15)

Not

assessed

Not

assessed

Percentagewithnoqualifications 8.6%(2015)Nooverall

changeImproved


Notes:

1.Fullhumancapitalincludeshumancapitalofthosethatareunemployed.

Dataonemployedhumancapitalarealsoavailable.

12.

HumancapitalhasincreasedThevalueoffullhumancapitalhasincreasedby£170billion,from£18.78trillionin2013to£18.95trillionin2014.Fullhumancapitalisameasureofindividuals’skills,knowledge,abilities,socialattributes,personalitiesandhealthattributes.Thesefactorsenableindividualstowork,andthereforeproducesomethingofeconomicvalue.

Figure13showstheeffecttheeconomicdownturnhadontheUK’sfullhumancapital.Between2004and2007thevalueoftheUK’sfullhumancapitalincreasedatanaverageof2.6%peryear.Thiswasdrivenbyincreasesintheemployedworking-agepopulationandtheskillslevelofthepopulation.AnotherdriveroftheincreaseinthevalueoftheUK’sfullhumancapitalwasearningsgrowth,whichgrewinrealtermsbetween2004and2007.In2010,theemploymentrateandlevelofemploymentforthoseaged16to64fell.This,alongsidefallsinrealearnings,contributedtofurtherfallsinthevalueoftheUK’sfullhumancapitalin2010and2011(-1.5%and-2.0%respectively).Followingthesefalls,thevalueoftheUK’sfullhumancapitalbegantostabilisein2012and2013beforeincreasingin2014.

Figure13:Humancapital,2004to2014

UK


NochangeinproportionwithnoqualificationsIntheacademicyearending2015,53.8%ofpupilsthatleftschoolinEnglandachieved5ormoreGCSEA*toCgrades,includingMathsandEnglish.Itisdifficulttocomparethisfigurewithpreviousyearsasthewayinwhichthefigureiscalculatedhaschanged1(DepartmentforEducation).

TheproportionofpeopleintheUKwithnoeducationalqualificationsshowednooverallchangein2015.Itremainedat8.6%,whichwasthesameas2014.However,theproportionofUKresidentswithoutqualificationsis6.9percentagepointslowerin2015thanitwasin2002,when15.5%ofUKresidentshadnoqualifications.PeopleinNorthernIrelandandtheWestMidlandsweremostlikelytoreportthattheyhadnoqualificationsin2015(15.8%and12.7%respectively).PeopleintheSouthWestandSouthEastwereleastlikelytoreportthattheyhadnoqualifications(5.2%and6.0%respectively)(LabourForceSurvey,OfficeforNationalStatistics).

Dooureducationalachievementsaffectourpersonalwell-being?Educationalattainmentcanbeapassporttoahigherincomeandemployment,bothofwhichimpactonpersonalwell-being.

Ahigherproportionofthosewithadegreeorequivalentratedtheirlifesatisfactionashighorveryhighwhencomparedwiththosethathadalowereducationalattainment(Figure14).Thiswasalsothecaseforthosewhosehighesteducationalattainmentwashighereducation,GCEALevelorequivalent,andGCSEA*-Corequivalent.Thosepeoplewhohadnoqualificationshadasignificantlylowerproportionofpeoplewithhighorveryhighlifesatisfactionwhencomparedwithallgroupswithqualifications.

Figure14:Reportinghighorveryhighlifesatisfaction1:byeducationalattainment2April2014toMarch2015

UK


Notes:

Notes:

1. Fromtheacademicyearending2014,thefigureonlycountedapupil’s firstattemptata

Adults aged16andoverwereasked'Overall,howsatis fiedareyouwithyourlifenowadays?'where0is 'notatall'and10is 'completely'.Highorveryhighlifesatis faction,arethosewhoreportedaratingof7to10outof10.

1.

ThequalificationsincludedinthesegroupscanbefoundinVolume4oftheLabourForceSurveyUserGuidance.

2.

qualification(ifcountedintheEnglishBaccalaureate),andrestrictionsonvocationalqualificationswerealsointroduced.Asoftheacademicyearending2015,newearlyentryrules(firstattemptcountedonly)wereextendedtoallsubjects.

Howpoliticallyengagedarewe?Politicalengagementandvoicingpoliticalopinionsmatterstonationalwell-beingasithelpsshapegovernmentactivities,whichinturnhelpbuildstrongandresilientcommunities.Trustingovernmentisessentialforsocialcohesionandwell-being.Itrepresentstheconfidenceofcitizensandbusinessesintheactionsofthegovernment.Votingisthemostprominentformofpoliticalparticipationand,formanypeople,itistheonlyengagementwithpoliticsthattheyhave.

What'schanged?

Table9:Assessmentsofchange–Governance

UK


Voterturnout(atUKgeneral

elections)66.2%(2015) Improved Improved

Thosewhohavetrustinnational

government

31%(Autumn

2015)

Nooverall

changeImproved


TurnoutatgeneralelectionshasimprovedVoterturnoutingeneralelectionsintheUKfellfromahighof83.9%in1950,toalowof59.4%in2001.Theturnoutforthelastgeneralelectionin2015was66.2%whichwashigherthantheprevious3elections,butstillthefourthlowestsince1945(ResearchBriefings,HouseofCommonsLibrary).

3in10trustthegovernment

13.

Intheautumnof2015,31%ofpeopleaged15andoverintheUKreportedthatthey“tendedtotrust”theirnationalgovernment.Therewasnooverallchangefromautumn2014butanimprovementonautumn2012(25%).Over6in10(64%)peoplereportedthattheytendednottotrustthegovernment.ThisfigureiscomparablewithanumberofEuropeancountries,butlowerthanGreece,Spain,SloveniaandPortugalwherearound8in10tendednottotrusttheirnationalgovernment(Eurobarometer).

Havingtrustinthegovernmentisimportant.Ifthereisadeclineintrustpeopleorbusinessesmaybemoreriskadverse,forexample,delayinginvestment,innovationandemploymentdecisionsthatareessentialtoregaincompetitivenessandjumpstartgrowth.

Howdoesourtrustingovernmentchangeovertime?Sinceautumn2004theproportionofpeoplethatstatedtheytendedtotrustthegovernmentvariedbetweenalowof19%intheautumnof2009toahighof37%inthespringof2015(Figure15).Theproportionalchangesovertimemaybeduetopoliticalandnon-politicalevents.Forexample,inthespringof2007theproportionofpeoplethat“tendedtotrust”thegovernmentstoodatoverathird(34%),butfelltojustunderafifth(19%)intheautumnof2009.Thesechangesmayhavebeenduetothestartofthefinancialcrisis(2008)andtheUKparliamentaryexpensesscandal(2009).Conversely,eventssuchaspre-electionperiods(Spring2005,2010and2015)whenpoliticiansaremorevisibleand“feel-good”eventsliketheLondonOlympicGames(July/August2012)mayhavehadaneffectontheproportionalincreasesofthosewhoreportedtrustinthegovernment.

Figure15:Percentageofthosewhohavetrustinnationalgovernment1,2004to2015

UK

Source:Eurobarometer

Notes:Respondentsaged15andoverwereaskedifthey'tendtotrust'or'tendtonottrust'theUKgovernment.Percentagesareforthosewhoanswered'tendtotrust'.Fieldworkwascarriedoutinspringandautumnofeachyear.

1.

Areweprotectingournaturalenvironmentforfuturegenerations?14.

AccordingtotheWhatWork’sCentreforWellbeingPublicDialoguesReport,manypeoplefeelthattheenvironmentisfundamentaltowell-being.Nature,greenspace,builtenvironment,andcommunalorpublicspacestomeetwereallmentionedasimportantaspectsforwell-being.Oneparticipantinthereportstatedthat,“buildingsustainablecommunitiesmeansrespectingnature,it’swhereyougetyourfoodfrom,it’swhereyougetyourartfrom,andyourwater,andthecurrentfocusisallabouteconomicgrowth…perhapstheenvironmentshouldbethekeyelementofanykindofpoliciesthataredevelopedforcommunitywell-being”.

What'schanged?

Table10:Assessmentsofchange–Naturalenvironment

UK

1year 3year

Greenhousegasemissions514.4MtCO2e

(2014)1Improved Improved

Energyconsumptionfrom

renewablesources7.0%(2014) Improved

Nooverall

change

Recyclingrates 44.9%(2014) ImprovedNooverall

change

Protectedareas21.413million

hectares(2015)

Nooverall

changeImproved


Notes:

1.MtCO2e=milliontonnescarbondioxideequivalent.

Greenhousegasemissionsarefalling

TheUK’sgreenhousegas(GHG)emissionswereestimatedat514.4milliontonnescarbondioxideequivalent(MtCO2e)in2014.Thiswas7.7%lowerthan2013,and35.4%lowerthan1990.GHGemissionsarewidelybelievedtocontributetoclimatechange,whichiswhytheyhavebeenincludedasaheadlinemeasureofnationalwell-being.

TheUKhasbothinternationalanddomestictargetsforreducingGHGemissions.TheKyotoProtocolisaninternationalagreementwhichcommitsitspartiestosettinginternationallybindingemissionreductiontargets.TheUK’stargetwastoreduceemissionsby12.5%from1990to2012,whichwasmet.ForthesecondKyotoProtocolcommitmentperiod(2013–2020)aUKtargetisyettobeformallyagreed.

Furthertothis,undertheClimateChangeAct2008theUKhasalegallybindingtargettoreduceemissionsbyatleast80%below1990baselinesby2050,withaninterimtargettoreduceGHGemissionsbyatleast34%comparedtothe1990baselineby2020.Tohelpsetthistrajectory,theClimateChangeActalsointroducedcarbonbudgets,whichsetlegally-bindinglimitsonthetotalamountofGHGemissionstheUKcanemitforagivenfive-yearperiod.Thefirstcarbonbudgetranfrom2008to2012.In2014,theUKconfirmedthatithadmetthefirstcarbonbudget,withemissions36MtCO2ebelowthecapof3,018MtCO2eoverthefirstcarbonbudgetperiod.

MoreenergybeingconsumedfromrenewablesourcesFinalenergyconsumptionfromrenewablesourcesreached7.0%in2014,upfrom5.6%in2013(Figure16).Althoughfossilfuelsremainthedominantsourceofenergysupply(accountingfor85%ofallenergyconsumed),theircontributiontotheoverallenergymixhasreachedarecordlow.IncreasesinrenewableenergyplayanimportantroleinreducingGHGemissionsandsupportashifttowardsagreenerandmoresustainableeconomy.

TheUKiscommittedtotargetstoobtainanincreasingshareofitsenergyfromrenewablesources.By2020,15%oftheUK’senergyconsumptionshouldbefromrenewablesources.TheUKhasexceededthefirst2interimtargetsandthelinesonFigure16indicatetheinterimtargetsthatwillkeeptheUKontracktomeettheoverall2020target.

Figure16:Percentageoffinalenergyconsumptionfromrenewablesources,2004to2020(projected)

UK

Source:DepartmentforEnergyandClimateChange

RecyclingratesnotprogressingfastenoughtoreachEU2020targetIn2014,26.8milliontonnesofhouseholdwastewasproducedintheUKwith12.0milliontonnes(44.9%)ofitbeingrecycled.Althoughthisfigurehasincreasedwhencomparedwiththepreviousyear’sfigure(44.1%),whetherthismeasurementhasimprovedisassessedagainsttheEUtargetofrecycling50%ofhouseholdwasteby2020.Currently,theUKisnotprogressingatasufficientpacetoreachthistargetby2020,andisthereforeassessedashaving“nooverallchange”inthelonger-termwhileshowingasufficientyearonyearincrease.Recyclingratesin2014variedacrossthecountriesoftheUK.InWales,morethanhalf(54.8%)ofhouseholdwastewasrecycled,comparedwith44.8%inEngland,41.0%inScotlandand43.6%inNorthernIreland(DepartmentforEnvironment,FoodandRuralAffairs).

Littlechangeinprotectedareasfollowinglargeincreasesbetween2010and2014IntheUKin2015,21.4millionhectaresoflandandseawasdesignatedasanationallyorinternationallyimportantprotectedarea.Protectedareasarelocationsthatareconservedforlandscape,ecologicaland/orculturalreasons,withthemainpurposeofprotectingbiodiversity.

Thetotalareaprotectedhasnotchangedsince2014;however,between2010and2015thetotalextentoflandandseaprotectedintheUKincreasedby10.7millionhectares,anincreaseof99.1%.Themajorityoftheoverallincreaseisasaresultofdesignationof10.6millionhectaresofmarineprotectedareasinbothinshoreandoffshorewaters(undertheHabitatsDirective,designationofmarineconservationzonesinEnglish,Welsh,andNorthernIrishwaters,anddesignationofnatureconservationmarineprotectedareasinScottishwaters).(DepartmentforEnvironment,FoodandRuralAffairs).

Dowevaluethenaturalenvironmentandtakeactiontopreserveit?Ithasbeenshownthatdifferencescanexistbetweentheextenttowhichpeoplesaythattheyvaluethenaturalenvironmentandtheextentoftheiractualparticipationinactivitiestocounterenvironmentalproblems.Thisdiscrepancybetweenattitudesandbehaviourhasbeenreferredtoasthe“Value-ActionGap”andishighlightedintheMonitoringandEngagementoftheNaturalEnvironmentreportfromNaturalEngland(MENE).Thesurveycontainsanumberofquestionswhichreflectavarietyof“Value”and“Action”topicsaroundtheenvironmentinEngland.Usingdatafrom2009to2014,therelationshipsbetweenvalueandactionhavebeenexplored.

Thereisaconsiderablegapbetweenthevalueattributedtothenaturalenvironmentandthelevelofactiontakentopreserveit,particularlyinrelationtoactionsthatrequireahigherinvestmentoftimeormoney.Almost9outof10respondents(87%)inEnglandovertheperiod2009to2014eitheragreedorstronglyagreedthattheywereconcernedaboutdamagetothenaturalenvironment.TheMENEstudycontained9pro-environmentalactionsofvaryingprevalence1.Onaverage,peoplereportedundertakingaround2actions,withsomepeoplenotundertakinganyatall(Figure17).

Figure17:Numberofpro-environmentalactionstaken,2009to2014

England

Source:MonitorandEngagementoftheNaturalEnvironment(MENE),NaturalEngland

Notes:

1. “Iusuallyrecycleitemsratherthanthrowthemaway”“Iusuallybuyeco-friendlyproductsandbrands”“Iusuallybuyseasonalorlocallygrownfood”“Ichoosetowalkorcycleinsteadofus ingmycarwhenIcan”“Iencourageotherpeopletoprotecttheenvironment”“Iamamemberofanenvironmentalorconservationorganisation”“Ivolunteertohelpcarefortheenvironment”“Idonatemoneyatleastonceeverythreemonthstosupportanenvironmentalorconservationorganisation"“Idonatemytimeatleastonceeverythreemonthstoanenvironmentalorconservationorganisation”

Children’swell-beingChildren’swell-beingisanimportantpartofthenation’swell-being.Notonlydoeschildhoodsetthefoundationforawell-functioningandhealthyadulthood,butchildrenoughttobeabletoexperiencelifeandflourishaschildren.Wehavedevelopedasetof31headlinemeasures,across7domainsofthenationalframework,toshowhowchildrenarefaringinthearenasoflifethatareimportanttothem,forexample,school,familyandpeerrelationships,havingautonomyandaspirationsforthefuture.

Thelatestdatashowsfewchangesinchildren’swell-beingoverall.Thereisamixedpicture,withchildrenreportingrelativelyhighlevelsofpersonalwell-being,andpositiverelationshipswithparents.However,therearestillareasofconcern,suchastheproportionofchildrenwhoreportbeingbulliedfrequentlyandtheproportionofchildrenreportingsymptomsofmentalill-health.Thefullsetof31measurescanbefoundinthedataset(https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/datasets/childrenswellbeingmeasures).Ageographicalbreakdownofselectedmeasures(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/adhocs/005283selectedchildrenswellbeingmeasuresbycountrylatestdataavailable)isalsoavailable.

ONShasalsodevelopedasetof28measuresofwell-beingforyoungpeopleaged16to24.Thesehavenotbeenpublishedasaseparatespreadsheet,astheNationalMeasuresspreadsheetincludesthelatestdataformostmeasuresdisaggregatedbyagegroup.

15.

Howsustainableisourfuture?Nationalwell-beingcoversnotjusthowwearedoingtoday,asindividualsandasanation,butalsohowsustainablethisisforthefuture.Oneapproachtoassessingsustainabilityforthefuture,adoptedbytheOECD‘How’sLife’report,istoconsiderthestockswehavenowinthingssuchaseducationandskills,naturalresourcesandcommunitycohesion,whichallmatterforthepresentandfuturewell-beingofindividuals.TheMeasuringNationalWell-beingprogrammecollectsinformationintheseareasaspartofworkonhuman,naturalandsocialcapital.

Humancapital

16.

Humancapitalisameasureofindividuals’skills,knowledge,abilities,socialattributes,personalityandhealthattributes.Thesefactorsenableindividualstowork,andthereforeproducesomethingofeconomicvalue.Anindividual’slabourmarketoutcomesarelinkedtotheirhumancapital.Ingeneral,individualswithlowskillsorlevelsofeducationaremorelikelytobeunemployedandfacesocialexclusion.Higherhumancapital(inparticulareducationalattainment)isalsoassociatedwithhigherearnings.Researchoneconomicgrowthsuggeststhatcountrieswithhigherlevelsofhumancapital,otherthingsbeingequal,havegreaterpotentialoutputandincomeinthefuture.

Humancapitalcanalsohavesocialimpacts;inparticular,higherlevelsofhumancapitalareassociatedwithimprovedhealthoutcomes,lowercrimerates,andhigherratesoftrustandsocialparticipation.

In2014thevalueoftheUK’shumancapitalstockwas£18.95trillion,anincreaseof£170billionfrom£18.78trillionin2013.TheEducationandskillschapterprovidesmoredetailonthechangesthathaveoccurredinHumancapitalsince2004.

FurtherinformationcanbefoundontheHumancapitalsectionoftheONSwebsite.(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/humancapitalestimates/2015-08-25)

NaturalcapitalNaturalcapitalvaluesournaturalresources,suchaswoodlandsandrivers.AspartoftheMeasuringNationalWell-beingprogramme,wearemeasuringnaturalcapitalbydevelopingecosystemaccountstomonitorchangesinthevalueandconditionofUKnaturalcapital.

In2011,UKnaturalcapitalwaspartiallyestimatedat£1.6billion,thiswas4%lowerthanthevaluein2007.Theseestimatesareexperimentalandaretermed,‘partial’astheyincludeonlyafewofthematerialandnon-materialbenefitsofnature.Forexample,recreationalbenefitsofnatureandthevalueoftimberwereincludedintheestimates,however,thebenefitstreesandsoilprovidebystoringcarbonisnotincluded.

FurtherinformationandtheecosystemaccountsdevelopedsofarcanbefoundontheNaturalCapitalsectionoftheONSwebsite(http://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/uksectoraccounts/methodologies/naturalcapital).

Socialcapital

Socialcapitalreferstosocialconnectionsandthebenefitstheygenerate.Unlikenaturalorhumancapital,afinancialvalueisnotcalculatedforsocialcapital.InJanuary2015,wepublishedasetof25measuresthatcover4keyaspects:personalrelationships,socialnetworksupport,civicengagementandtrust,andcooperativenorms.

Latestdataforpersonalrelationshipsshowedthatmostofus(95%)hadatleastoneclosefriendinthefinancialyearending2012,andthat11%ofpeoplefeltlonelymorethanhalfofthetimeovertheprevioustwoweeks.Intermsofsocialnetworksupport,mostpeoplefeltthattheycanrely“alot”ontheirpartner(80.7%)andtheirfamily(60.7%)incaseofaseriousproblem,butlessthanhalf(43.2%)feltthattheycouldrely“alot”ontheirfriends,inthefinancialyearending2014.Voluntaryactivitywhichisaformofcivicengagementwasvaluedat£23.9billionintheUKinthefinancialyearending2013andinNovember2015,31%reportedthatthey“tendedtotrust”nationalgovernmentcomparedwith25%ofpeopleinNovember2012.

Measuresofsocialcapitalwillcontinuetobedeveloped.FurtherinformationcanbefoundontheSocialCapitalsectionoftheONSwebsite(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-01-29).

SustainabledevelopmentgoalsAtaUnitedNationssummitinSeptember2015,worldleaderscametogethertoexpresstheircommitmenttoanambitiousplantoeradicatepovertyandachievesustainabledevelopmentoverthenext15years.Attheheartofthisplanarethe17sustainabledevelopmentgoals(SDGs),alsoknownastheglobalgoals,andtheiraccompanyingtargets.ThesegoalshavebeendescribedbytheUNSecretaryGeneralBanKi-Moonasa‘todolistfortheplanet,andablueprintforsuccess’.

ItisexpectedthatglobalreportingofprogresstowardstheSDGswillbebasedonglobalandregionalaggregatesofdata.However,allcountrieswillbeencouragedtoreportonbothdomesticandinternationalimplementationofthegoalsandwearesettoplayakeyroleinthemonitoringandreportingoftheUK’sprogresstowardsthegoals.Thiswillincludelookingatthewayexistingreportingframeworks(forexample,MeasuresofNationalWell-beingandSustainableDevelopmentIndicators)alignwiththeSDGstogiveacomprehensivepictureoftheUK’sprogresstowardsasustainablefuture.Weareplanningtoconsultwithstakeholdersinsummer2016ontheproposedframeworkfornationalreportingofSDGs.

FurtherinformationcanbefoundontheSustainableDevelopmentIndicatorssectionoftheONSwebsite(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/datasets/sustainabledevelopmentindicators).

Sources,reportsandsurveysrelatedto'LifeintheUK,2016'Howdoweevaluateourownlives?MeasuringNationalWell-being:PersonalWell-beingintheUK,2014to2015(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-09-23)

UnderstandingSociety,theUKHouseholdLongitudinalSurvey-UnderstandingSociety(http://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/)

Howimportantaretherelationshipswehave?EuropeanQualityofLifeSurvey(http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/european-quality-of-life-surveys-eqls)

MeasuringNationalWell-being:Insightsintochildren'smentalhealthandwell-being(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-10-20#tab-Parental-relationships)

MeasuringNationalWell-being:InequalitiesinSocialCapitalbyAgeandSex,July2015(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-07-09)

MeasuringNationalWell-being:InsightsintoLoneliness,OlderPeopleandWell-being,2015(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-10-01#tab-Introduction)


Howgoodisourhealth?TheFiveYearForwardViewforMentalHealth(http://www.england.nhs.uk/mentalhealth/taskforce/)

HealthExpectanciesatBirthandatAge65intheUnitedKingdom:2009to11(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/healthexpectanciesatbirthandatage65intheunitedkingdom/2014-11-18)

17.

LabourForceSurvey,OfficeforNationalStatistics(http://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment)

MeasuringNationalWell-being-WhatmattersmosttoPersonalWell-being?(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-/art-what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-.html#tab-Key-points)

MeasuringNationalWell-being:PersonalWell-beingintheUK,2014to2015(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-09-23)

MeasuringNationalWell-being:AtwhatageisPersonalWell-beingthehighest?(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/atwhatageispersonalwellbeingthehighest)

MeasuringNationalWell-being:Insightsintochildren'smentalhealthandwell-being(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-10-20#tab-Parental-relationships)

WellbeingPublicDialogues,WhatWorksCentreforWell-being(http://www.whatworkswellbeing.org/evidence-program/public-dialogues/)

WorldHappinessReport(http://worldhappiness.report/)


Howdowespendourtimeandarewesatisfiedwithitsuse?ActivePeopleSurvey,SportEngland(http://www.sportengland.org/research/who-plays-sport/)

HouseholdSatelliteAccounts-ValuingVoluntaryActivityintheUK(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/household-satellite-accounts/valuing-voluntary-activity-in-the-uk/art--valuing-voluntary-activity-in-the-uk.html#tab-abstract)

QuantifyingandValuingtheWellbeingImpactsofCultureandSport(http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quantifying-and-valuing-the-wellbeing-impacts-of-culture-and-sport)

MeasuringNationalWell-being:PersonalWell-beingintheUK,2014to2015(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-09-23)

MeasuringNationalWell-being-ExploringtheWell-beingofChildrenintheUK:2014(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2014-10-08)

TheTakingPartsurvey,DepartmentforCulture,MediaandSport(http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/taking-part)



Howdowefeelaboutwherewelive?CrimeSurveyforEnglandandWales,OfficeforNationalStatistics(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice)

Englishhousingsurvey,DepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment(http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-housing-survey)

Journeytimestatistics,DepartmentforTransport(http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/journey-time-statistics-access-2014)

Measuringnationalwell-being:AnanalysisofsocialcapitalintheUK(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuringnationalwellbeing/2015-01-29#tab-Trust-and-Cooperative-Norms)

MonitorEngagementwiththeNaturalEnvironment,NaturalEngland(http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6579788732956672?category=47018)

PersonalWell-beingandHousingTenure(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/personal-well-being-in-the-uk--2014-15/sty-personal-well-being-and-housing-tenure.html)


Howarewecopingfinancially?

Eurobarometer(http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb83/eb83_en.htm)

FamilyResourcesSurvey,DepartmentforWorkandPensions(http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/family-resources-survey--2)

MeasuringNationalWell-being-WhatmattersmosttoPersonalWell-being?(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-/art-what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-.html#tab-Key-points)

NationalAccounts,OfficeforNationalStatistics(http://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts)


WealthinGreatBritainWave3:Relationshipbetweenwealth,incomeandpersonalwell-being,July2011toJune2012(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/debt/articles/wealthingreatbritainwave3/2015-09-04)

WealthinGreatBritainWave4:2012to2014(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/compendium/wealthingreatbritainwave4/2012to2014)

Howstrongisoureconomy?EconomicWell-being:Quarter4(OctobertoDecember)2014(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/economicwellbeing/2015-03-31)

Inflationandpriceindices,OfficeforNationalStatistics(http://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices)

NationalAccounts,OfficeforNationalStatistics(http://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts)

Howskilledarewe?DepartmentforEducation(http://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2014-to-2015)

HumanCapital(http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/humancapitalestimates/2015-08-25)

ContactdetailsforthisarticleIanMacrorynationalwell-being@ons.gsi.gov.ukTelephone:+44(0)1633455851


Howpoliticallyengagedarewe?Eurobarometer(http://ec.europa.eu/COMMFrontOffice/PublicOpinion/index.cfm/General/index)

LabourForceSurvey(http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/labour-market/labour-market-statistics/index.html)

Researchbriefings,HouseofCommonsLibrary(http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/)

Areweprotectingournaturalenvironment?ProtectedAreas,JointNatureConservationCommittee(http://%20jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-5332)

MonitorEngagementwiththeNaturalEnvironment,NaturalEngland(http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6579788732956672?category=47018)

Renewablesstatistics,DepartmentofEnergy&ClimateChange(http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/renewables-statistics)

UKgreenhousegasemissionsstatistics,DepartmentofEnergy&ClimateChange(http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistics)

Wasteandrecyclingstatistics,DepartmentforEnvironment,Food&RuralAffairs(http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/waste-and-recycling-statistics)


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