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Can policy influence the subjective well-being of young people? Jonathan Bradshaw

Can policy influence the subjective well-being of young people? Jonathan Bradshaw. Institute for Policy Research Symposium Lost Youth in the 21 st Century University of Bath 17 September 2014. Outline of argument. New interest in subjective well-being both nationally and internationally

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Can policy influence the subjective well-being of young people? Jonathan Bradshaw

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  1. Can policy influence the subjective well-being of young people?Jonathan Bradshaw Institute for Policy Research Symposium Lost Youth in the 21st Century University of Bath 17 September 2014

  2. Outline of argument • New interest in subjective well-being both nationally and internationally • Some of it focussed on children and youth • There is evidence that subjective well-being varies • Between countries • Within countries over time • Also associated with objective well-being at an international level. • But in micro analysis difficult to explain variation. • Therefore policy responses not easy to determine

  3. Objective versus subjective well-being • Well-being multi-dimensional • Objective= material, health, education, (employment), safety, housing and environment, participation/inclusion. • Subjective= feelings. • Hedonic • Affective: positive (joy) and negative feelings (anxiety) • Cognitive: Life satisfaction • Eudaimonic: purpose in life, flourishing…. • Subjective can be objectively measured • In practice mainly cognitive

  4. Why is there new interest in SWB • The outcomes of social policy often evaluated using money metrics • Poverty • Inequality • Spending per capita • Income not reliable • Lots of good things left out of GDP • Personal love and care • Quality of the environment/Absence of pollution • Freedom, Justice • Increasing GDP (after a certain level) does not lead to increased happiness. Easterlin paradox

  5. Life satisfaction (Cantril’s ladder) by GDP per capita OECD (2011)

  6. Beyond Money • Richard Layard (2005) Happiness • Critique of mainstream economics • Prosperity Paradox • Strive to increase income • Much richer than in the past • We are not happier

  7. Stiglitz/Sen/Fitoussi Commission (2009)on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress • Well-being: • Material living standards • Health • Personal activities/work • Political voice/governance • Social connections/relationships • Environment present/future • Insecurity • Elements of quality of life/subjective well-being: • Happiness • Life satisfaction • Positive affect (joy/pride) • Negative affect (pain/worry)

  8. OECD (2011) : How’s Life. Life satisfaction 2010

  9. Beyond Money It's time we admitted that there's more to life than money, and it's time we focused not just on GDP but on GWB - General Wellbeing. It's about the beauty of our surroundings, the quality of our culture and above all the strength of our relationships. There is a deep satisfaction which comes from belonging to someone and to some place. David Cameron, May 2006

  10. Why well-being matters • Promoting well-being is a reasonable goal for any society • Studying well-being can enable us to understand what matters in people’s lives • In the UK ONS has established two programmes to measure national subjective well-being of • Adults • Children

  11. Understanding national well-being - ONS • Personal well-being • Life satisfaction • Life worthwhile • Happiness yesterday • Happiness with appearance • Relationships • Health • What we do • Where we live • Personal finance • Education skills • Economy • Governance • Natural environment • http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/well-being/index.html

  12. Comparative indices of child well-being • State of the World’s Children (UNICEF) • Innocenti Report Cards (UNICEF) • Doing Better for Children (OECD) • Child poverty and derivation (EU) • Child well-being (EU Tarki) • African Report on Child Well-being (ACPF) • Multi-dimensional child poverty (Bristol) • Many, many national reports

  13. Our research on child well-being • The well-being of children in the UK – three reviews latest Bradshaw, J. (ed) (2011) The Well-being of Children in the United Kingdom, Bristol: Policy Press • International comparative studies of child well-being – EU, OECD/UNICEF, CEECIS, Pacific Rim • The well-being of children - at small area level in England using indicators Bradshaw J, Noble M, Bloor K, Huby M, McLennan D, Rhodes D, Sinclair I, Wilkinson K. (2009) A Child Well-Being Index at Small Area Level in England, J. Child Indicators Research 2, 2, 201-219 • The subjective well-being of children – Children’s Society survey http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/the_good_childhood_report_2014_-_final.pdf • Trends in the subjective wellbeing of children 1994-2008

  14. UNICEF (2007) Report on Child Well Being

  15. UNICEF 2013 child well-being

  16. OECD Index of child well-being

  17. Pacific Rim

  18. CEECIS index

  19. Child well-being by GDP Euros per capita: EU only

  20. WELL-BEING BY CHILD POVERTY RATE: EU only

  21. Child well-being and inequality: EU only

  22. WELL-BEING BY FAMILY BREAKDOWN

  23. Why subjective well-being might not be a cause for social policy • Measures not very good • Lost in translation – life satisfaction • Adaptive preferences • Homeostatic adaptation • Difficult to explain variations • Personality a factor • Most important factor relationships and choice - ?social policies • But

  24. Multiple regression of subjective well-being: England (The Children’s Society)

  25. Overall subjective well-being HBSC

  26. Mean life satisfaction among 12-year-olds in 11 countries: Children’s Worlds Pilot

  27. Correlations with subjective well-being

  28. Objective and subjective child well-being: UNICEF 2013

  29. Social spending and subjective well-being

  30. Child happiness has increased in the UK Mean happiness of 11-15 year olds (BHPS/US 1994-2011). With 95% confidence intervals)

  31. Why? • Reduction in child poverty? • Big increase in spending on children? • Institutional transformation? • Is it schools – social and emotional education and anti bullying? • Is it social networking - friends and girls? • Is it getting worse now?

  32. We have much to learn • How to measure well-being • How to affect it with public policy • How to organise to influence it • It varies over time • It varies between countries • It varies between individuals • What effects your well-being? • What can be done to improve it? • http://www.actionforhappiness.org/

  33. Thank you for listening • Jonathan.bradshaw@york.ac.uk • Twitter @profjbradshaw • http://php.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/profiles/jrb.php

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