National Accounts of Well-being
NEF Report, 2009: National Accounts of Well-being: bringing real wealth onto the balance sheet
Description
"National Accounts of Well-being: bringing real wealth onto the balance sheet is the most comprehensive international analysis of well-being ever produced. It surveys 22 European countries, measuring both personal and social well-being. Personal well-being describes people’s experiences of their positive and negative emotions, satisfaction, vitality, resilience, self-esteem and sense of purpose and meaning. Social well-being is made up of two main components: supportive relationships, and trust and belonging both of which are critical elements of overall well-being.
According to nef's research, Britain fares poorly on both measures, coming only 13th place when social and personal well-being are combined into a single score. The results also reveal that people in the UK aged 16-24 report the lowest level of trust and belonging – a key element of social well-being – anywhere in Europe, perhaps due to the rise of a highly individualistic culture in the UK." (http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/z_sys_PublicationDetail.aspx?pid=279)