The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Update 2003 Robert A Cummins (Deakin University) Richard Eckersley (Australian National University) Sing Kai Lo (University of Sydney) Melanie Davern (Deakin University) Bruce Hunter (Deakin University) Erik Okerstrom (Australian Unity) NB. Please view via ‘Notes page’. You can then progress through the document using your mouse wheel, Page Down key, or the double-headed arrow to the right of this frame. 5 th Australian Conference on Quality of Life Proceedings, Melanie Davern (Ed.), Deakin University, Melbourne, December 2003

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index Personal Wellbeing Index National Wellbeing Index

The Australian Surveys Geographically representative sample N = 2,000 Telephone interview #1:April 2001 #2:September 2001 (immediately following September 11) #8:August 2003

How satisfied are you with your ----? Completely Dissatisfied Completely Satisfied Mixed [Jones and Thurstone,1955] 11-point, end-defined scale

%SM Likert All data are converted to a standardized range from

“How satisfied are you with your life as a whole?” ( S E V E N L I F E D O M A I N S ) Standard of living Health Productivity Relationships Safety Community connectedness Future security Measuring Personal Wellbeing

Personal Wellbeing Index How satisfied are you with your ?  Standard of living  Safety  Health  Productivity  Relationships  Community connectedness  Future security RonnyRonny Subjective wellbeing = average domain satisfaction

Population Mean Frequency distribution for subjective wellbeing Completely dissatisfied Completely satisfied

Personal Wellbeing Index -SeptemberBaliPre-IraqPost-Iraq 11BombingWarWar S1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8 AprilSeptemberMarchAugustNovemberMarchJuneAugust Major Events Preceding Survey Survey Date Scores above this line are significantly greater than S2, S4, S5 Scores above this line are significantly greater than S1

Satisfaction with Relationships >S2, 3, 4, 5 >S1

Satisfaction with Feeling Part of Your Community >S1

Satisfaction with How Safe you Feel >S3, 4, 6 >S2, 5 >S1

Satisfaction with Future Security >S4 >S1 >S2

Personal Wellbeing Index National Wellbeing Index Standard of living Economic situation Health State of environment Achievements in life Social conditions Personal relationships How Australia is governed How safe you feel Business Community connectedness National security Future security Question: “How satisfied are you with …….? Australian Unity Wellbeing Index

National Wellbeing Index >S2

Satisfaction with National Security >S4 >S5 >S6 >S2

Satisfaction with Government >S5, S6, S7, S8 >S4

Personal Wellbeing Index -SeptemberBaliPre-IraqPost-Iraq 11BombingWarWar S1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8 AprilSeptemberMarchAugustNovemberMarchJuneAugust Major Events Preceding Survey Survey Date Scores above this line are significantly greater than S2, S4, S5 Scores above this line are significantly greater than S1

Like the internal management of body temperature and blood pressure Our sense of satisfaction with our lives is also internally managed and held constant Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis

Personal Wellbeing Index -SeptemberBaliPre-IraqPost-Iraq 11BombingWarWar S1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8 AprilSeptemberMarchAugustNovemberMarchJuneAugust Major Events Preceding Survey Survey Date Scores above this line are significantly greater than S2, S4, S5 Scores above this line are significantly higher than S1

Normative Range for Each Gender Group Derived from the Survey Mean Scores (N=8)

PWI x Gender

Normative Range for each age group derived from the survey mean scores (N=8)

Why does SWB rise with age? Cohort effect (survival of the happiest) Externally driven (life improves after 55y) Internally driven –(a) Change in strength of response –(b) Genetically determined rise in set-point –(c) Homeostasis becomes weaker

Survey 1 (pre-September 11) Age Strength Of Satisfaction (PWI)

Strength of happiness and Sadness in Relation to Personal Events Age trend = NS

Normative Range for each age group derived from the survey mean scores (N=8)

Homeostasis could fail because--- The homeostatic system has become weaker The challenges to homeostasis have become stronger

Decreased buffering capacity Decreased sense of control Increased tendency towards acquiescent responding If homeostasis becomes weaker-

Maybe increased acquiescence causes increased wellbeing “Does Sept 11 make you sad?” [YES] “How sad does Sept 11 make you feel?”[Lots] “How satisfied do you feel with your life?” [Lots]

“What about the S11/Bali terrorist attacks? Does this make you feel sadder than normal now” If ‘Yes’ On a scale from 0 – 10, how strong would you rate this sadness?

% recalling attacks with Sadness x Age (combined surveys)

Strength of recalled Sadness (combined surveys) (Income and gender used as co-variates)

Normative Range for each age group derived from the survey mean scores (N=8)

% Recall with Sadness vs PWI (combined surveys) % Recalling With sadness Age % recall with sadness PWI R = PWI

Personal Wellbeing Index Strength Of Satisfaction (PWI)

Conclusion 1. The pattern of change in SWB across surveys is age-dependent (a)Young people (18-55 years) show no systematic influence of major international events on their personal wellbeing (b)Older people (56y+) show an increased SWB that may reflect enhanced social acquiescence.

Conclusion 2. The age-related increase in subjective wellbeing maybe an artifact of acquiescent responding induced by major public events.