Understanding local needs for wellbeing data measures and indicators

Author(s)

BROWN Helen, ADBALLAH Saamah, TOWNSELY Ruth

Publisher(s):

What Works Centre for Wellbeing

Publication year:

2017

This report presents a new Local Wellbeing Indicator set for local authorities, public health leaders and Health and Wellbeing boards to help local decision-makers better understand the wellbeing of their local populations, and how they can act to improve it. The set is the product of a six-month scoping project co-commissioned by the Office for National Statistics (ON) and Public Health England (PHE), in collaboration with the What Works Centre for Wellbeing and Happy City. The report outlines the rationale for the selection of indicators, details the methodology used, and presents the indicators. The final framework consists of an ‘ideal’ set and a ‘currently available’ set of Local Wellbeing indicators, recognising that some of the indicators proposed in the ideal set are not yet available at the local authority level. The ‘ideal’ set is based on a core of 26 indicators of individual wellbeing and its determinants. The ‘currently available’ set contains 23 indicators. Both the ‘ideal’ and ‘currently available’ sets are built around seven domains: personal wellbeing, economy, education and childhood, equality, health, place and social relationships. The report also includes recommendations for additional ‘deeper dive’ support indicators that provide more detailed insight in specific areas and contexts. The indicators aim to meet the need for a practical local translation of the Measuring National Wellbeing programme Office, introduced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2011. (Edited publisher abstract)