WELLBEING CONCEPT

All societies share a common desire to improve key aspects of human life, regardless of differing cultural values and social structures. The social, cultural and economic environment that a person lives in has a dramatic impact on their quality of life. These factors contribute to overall wellbeing, both of individuals and the communities of which they are a member. No single measure of wellbeing can evaluate an individual's progress over their lifetime or a community's progress over time. Rather, a range of measures can be used to map changes in health and living conditions over time.

The measurement of wellbeing has been conducted in the Australian context by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for many years. Since 2001, the ABS has used a broad framework to organise Australian social statistics to assist informed analysis of social issues. More information about the framework and the conceptual models used for each broad area of concern within the framework, its importance to individual and/or societal wellbeing, key social issues and the data sources available to address these measures is available in Measuring Wellbeing: Frameworks for Australian Social Statistics (cat. no. 4160.0).

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