1. WELLBEING AND QOL W4

2. Learning outcomes 1 Describe the meaning of well being 2
Explain the relationship between well-being and quality of life

3. Three Pillars of Sustainable Development Social Wellbeing
Economic Wellbeing
Environmental Wellbeing

4. What is wellbeing?
In general term well –being means a contented state of being happy and healthy and prosperous.
It is also synonymous to happiness
It is used for individual being and social systems

5. Concept of Wellbeing
An ambiguous concept, lacking a universally acceptable definition and often faced with competing interpretations.
Wellbeing is a notion that people and policymakers generally aspire to improve.

6. Definition of wellbeing
Wellbeing is generally viewed as a description of the state of people’s life situation (McGillivray 2007, p. 3).

7. Measurement of Wellbeing
Objective Measure
Income
GDP
Subjective measure
Personal measure

8. OBJECTIVE MEASURE of wellbeing
OBSERVABLE HARD FACTS AND FIGURE
Economic data – income in RM
Social data-living space in square meters.
Environmental data- percentage of clean river

9. Material wellbeing measured by income or GDP.
OBJECTIVE MEASuRE
One dimension
Material wellbeing measured by income or GDP.
The link between income and wellbeing rests on the assumption that income allows increases in consumption and consumption increases utility (preferences in meeting desires and wants).

10. GDP does not capture all the aspects of human life.
OBJECTIVE MEASuRE
Multi Dimensional
GDP does not capture all the aspects of human life.
Wellbeing encompasses broader dimensions such as social and environmental aspects, and human rights.
Since the 1970s many non-economic indicators have been created to complement GDP.
Indicators in areas such as education, health and nutrition, environment and empowerment and participation have been elaborated to complement GDP.

11. OBJECTIVE MEASuRE
Wellbeing Index
Composite measures that would capture the multidimensional aspect of wellbeing.
Constructed using different components, weighted in some way to form a single index.
Examples:
1) Human Development Index (HDI) (1990) combining income per capita, life expectancy at birth, adult literacy and education enrollment ratios.
2) Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) (1979) combined infant mortality, life expectancy and adult literacy

12. Subjective wellbeing
Subjective measures ‘soft’ matters such as self reported happiness and life satisfaction, satisfaction with income and perceived adequacy of dwelling.
Some economists use the phrase “subjective wellbeing” as a synonym for “happiness” but in psychology, happiness is a narrower concept than SWB.

13. Definition of SWB
Veenhoven (1984) defines subjective wellbeing as a degree to which an individual judges the overall quality of her/his life as a whole in a favourable way.
McGillivray and Clarke (2006, p. 4) state that “subjective wellbeing involves a multidimensional evaluation of life, including cognitive judgments of life satisfaction and affective evaluations of emotions and moods.”

14. + SWB Indicate a person’s level of happiness individuals’ perceived
Life satisfaction
Indicate a person’s level
of happiness
individuals’ perceived
distance from their
aspirations +

15. Measures of Happiness Self reported level of happiness
Rating of the level of happiness
Objectively using brain wave measure

16. Example of Dimensions of Happiness Measure
Happiness is defined as the degree to which an individual judges the overall quality of her/his life as-a- whole favorably.
Four main dimensions:
Happiness
Possession
Satisfaction of Needs
Self Actualization
Comparing Past Experiences
ENVIS Centre on Human Settlement- Department Of Environmental Planning, SPA, New Delhi

17. Why QOL?
QOL emerged and discussed for 3 concerns: 1. The feeling on the part of modern industrial society, despite impressive gains in affluence, ease of communication and leisure, has not made any significant overall progress in improving man’s lot. Mankind prospect is less attractive than they were 25 years ago. 2. The desire for an index of social well-being analogous to measures of economic wellbeing. This measurement can provide for purposes of government decision-making and intellectual interest to measure social progress. 3. Understanding, measurement, improvement of human experiences have been the major goals of individual, community and government.

18. General meaning of QOL
QOL represent either how well human needs are met or the extent to which individuals or group perceived satisfaction or dissatisfaction in various life domains.

19. Method of measurement
1.Use quantifiable, objective measure of social/ or economic indicators to reflect the extent to which human needs are met;
2. Self reported levels of happiness, pleasure, fulfillment and alike which is termed well-being.

20. Objective Measure
Center on economic, social, health and environmental indicators.
Economic- income, poverty level
Social- unemployment rate, accident rate at workplace
Health- life expectancy, doctor population ratio
Environment- water quality, air quality

21. Subjective Measure
Typically focus on personal reports of life experiences that complement social, economic and health indicators.
QOL is primarily a subjective sense of well-being, a proxy used for QOL

22. Issues with Subjective Measure
People judge their well-being in comparison with peer groups than in absolute terms
Influence of cultural and religious norms
May be bound by time, socio- demographic factors etc.

23. Integrative definition of QOL
A more complete picture of QOL at multiple spatial (space/places) and temporal ( time) scale.
Both objective and subjective measures independently has some limitations.
A combined approach of subjective and objective measures of QOL is proposed.

24. Integrative Definition of QOL
QOL is the extent to which objective human needs are fulfilled in relation to personal or group perceptions of subjective well-being (SWB).

25. Human Needs

26. SWB
SWB is individual’s or groups’ responses to questions regarding happiness, life satisfaction, utility or welfare.

27. Relationship between variables
The relation between specific human needs and perceived satisfaction with each of them is affected by mental capacity, cultural context, information, education, temperament etc in a complex manner.

28. Relationship between variables
The relation between fulfillment of those needs and overall subjective well-being is affected by weightage/importance individuals, groups and culture give to fulfilling of each of those needs relative to others.

29. QUALITY OF LIFE OPPOTUNITIES to meet human needs HUMAN NEEDS
How needs are met
HUMAN NEEDS
Subsistence
Reproduction
Security
Affection
Understanding
Participation
Leisure
Creativity
Identity
Freedom
How need fulfillment
is perceived
SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING
Happiness, Utility
Welfare

30. Opportunities
The ability to satisfy basic human needs come from the opportunities available and constructed from social, built, human and natural capital. Policy and culture help allocate the four types of capital as a means of providing these opportunities

31. Types of Capital
Social capital- network and norms that facilitate cooperative actions
Human capital –knowledge and information stored in our brain and our labour
Built capital- manufactured goods and services such as tools, equipment, building
Natural capital- renewable and non renewable good and services provided by ecosystem

32. Examples of Indicators for measuring needs at individual and national scales
Individual Scale
National Scale
Subsistance
Self reports on calorie intake, access to clean water, air, health care
National data on: calorie deficiencies;
Affection
Self report on level of attachment to others
National data on suicide, homicide
Leisure
Self report on time use, activities pursued and money spent
National data on time use, money spent and activities involved
Security
Self report on who provide care in case of illnesses, care for elderly
National data on nursing home, multigenerational household

33. Conclusion
The concept of QOL has been conceptualised differently by different QOL researchers.
QOL concept can be viewed by these theoretical perspectives:
Ideal theories
Personal utility theories
QOL as happiness versus life satisfaction
Opulence theories
Theories of the just society
The needs approach
The social judgment approach

34. Framework for measuring QOL
Some international frameworks and methodology have set the foundation for QOL indicator research. • United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 • Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, 1976 • Habitat Agenda- Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, 1996 • Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, 2001 • Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), 2001 • State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009- “Harmonious Cities” • United Nations Human Development Index