AustralianUnity Wellbeing Index

The western world-view is dominated by notions of progress. Progress is about making life better. That is, improving quality of life and wellbeing. Indicators are crucial to such progress because we cannot know, as a society, whether quality of life is improving unless we can monitor and measure how it is changing. Policies, for example, are judged on how they affect relevant indicators.

Quality of life is subjective as well as objective, a matter of how people feel about life as well as the material conditions in which they live. Interestingly, however, these two kinds of measurement are normally poorly related. So we need both. There are a plethora of objective measures that relate to quality of life and wellbeing. There is, however, a lack of subjective measures that are rigorous, comprehensive and systematic.

The AustralianUnity Wellbeing Index is designed to fill this niche. It has the aim of promoting greater public and political awareness of the social factors underpinning wellbeing, as well as enhancing scientific understanding of subjective wellbeing.

• Survey 1, Report 1, June 2001 (pdf ~ 240k)
  Survey 1.2, Data Dictionary (doc ~ 44k)
  1 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 1.73Mb)
  
  
• Survey 2, Report 1, December 2001 (pdf ~ 330k)
  Survey 2, Report 2, December 2001 (pdf ~ 400k)
  Survey 2.2, Data Dictionary (doc ~ 52k)
  2 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2.1Mb)
  
  
• Discussion document in preparation for Survey 3 (doc ~ 250k)
  Survey 3, Report 3.1, May 2002 (pdf ~ 300k)
  Survey 3, Report 3.2, April 2002 (pdf ~ 500k)
  Survey 3, Data Dictionary (doc ~ 79k)
  3 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 1.7Mb)
  
  
• Survey 4, Report 4, September 2002 (pdf ~ 470k)
  The Wellbeing of Australians - 1. Work and Leisure 2. The Impact of September 11 One Year Later
  Survey 4, Data dictionary (doc ~ 86k)
  4 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 1.7Mb)
  
  
• Survey 5, Report 5, February 2003 (pdf ~ 700k)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - 1. Personal Finances 2. The Impact of the Bali Bombing"
  Survey 5, Data dictionary (doc ~ 50k)
  5 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 1.3Mb)
  
  
• Survey 6, Report 6, April 2003 (pdf ~ 750k)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - Impact of the Impending Iraq War"
  Survey 6, Data dictionary (doc ~ 98k)
  6 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 1.2Mb)
  
  
• Survey 7, Report 7, August 2003 (pdf ~ 1Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - The Effects of Work”
  Survey 7, Data dictionary (doc ~ 50k)
  7 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 1Mb)
  
  
• Survey 8, Report 8, November 2003 (pdf ~ 1Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - Feeling Connected to Australia"
  Survey 8, Data dictionary (doc ~ 34k)
  8 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 1.3Mb)
  
  
• Special Report on Cities 2004 (doc ~ 391k)
  "Wellbeing in Australian Capital Cities"
  
  
• Survey 9, Report 9, February 2004 (pdf ~ 1.1Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - Owning a Pet "
  Survey 9, Data dictionary (doc ~ 71k)
  9 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 395k)
  
  
• Survey 10, Report 10, April 2004 (pdf ~ 1.2Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - Health and Body Weight"
  Survey 10, Data dictionary (doc ~ 87k)
  10 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Survey 11, Report 11, August 2004 - Part A | Part B - Appended Tables (zip ~ 2Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - Personal Financial Debt"
  Survey 11, Data dictionary (doc ~ 86k)
  11 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Survey 12, Report 12, October 2004 - Part A | Part B - Appended Tables (pdfs ~ 1.1Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians - Job Security"
  Survey 12, Data dictionary (doc ~ 86k)
  12 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Report 12.1, January 2005 (pdf ~ 350k)
  "Special Report on City and Country Living"
  
  
• Survey 13, Report 13, July 2005 - Part A | Part B - Appended Tables (pdfs ~ 1Mb)
  " The Wellbeing of Australians – Caregiving at Home"
  Survey 13, Data dictionary (doc ~ 97k)
  13 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Report 13.1, October 2005 (pdf ~ 1.1Mb)
  "The Personal Wellbeing of Australians Living within Federal Electoral Divisions"
  
  
• Survey 14, Report 14, October 2005 Part A | Part B - Appended Tables (pdfs ~ 1.2Mb)
  “The Wellbeing of Australians - Personal Relationships”
  Survey 14, Data dictionary (doc ~ 115k)
  14 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Survey 14.1, Report 14.1, March 2006 (pdf ~ 220k)
  "Fifth Anniversary Special Report - Summarising the major findings"
  
  
• Survey 15, Report 15, May 2006 Part A | Part B - Appended Tables (pdfs ~ 1.2Mb)
  “The Wellbeing of Australians”
  Survey 15, Data dictionary (doc ~ 120k)
  15 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Survey 16, Report 16, October 2006 Part A | Part B - Appended Tables (pdfs ~ 1.5Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians – Mortgage Payments and Home Ownership"
  Survey 16, Data dictionary (doc ~ 100k)
  16 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Survey 16.1, Report 16.1, March 2007 (pdf ~ 300k)
  Special Report “The Wellbeing of Australians – Groups with the highest and lowest wellbeing in Australia”
  Raw Data - A Collation of Data from the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index Surveys (pdf ~ 450k)
  Summary - Wellbeing Extremes: A Collation of Data from the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index Surveys (pdf ~ 296k)
  
  
• Survey 17, Report 17, April 2007 Part A | Part B Appended Tables (pdfs ~ 1.5Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians – Work, Wealth and Happiness”
  Survey 17, Data dictionary (doc ~ 100k)
  17 - Complete data files in Excel format (xls ~ 2Mb)
  
  
• Survey 17.1, Report 17.1, October 2007 (pdf ~ 840k)
  Special Report "The Wellbeing of Australians – Carer Health and Wellbeing”
  17.1 - Complete data files in Excel format
  
  
• Survey 18, Report 18, October 2007 Part A | Part B (pdf ~ 1.3Mb)
  "The Wellbeing of Australians – Changing conditions to make life better"
  Survey 18, Data dictionary (doc ~ 100k)
  
  
• Survey 18.1, Report 18.1, February 2008 Part A | Part B Appended Tables (pdfs ~ 1Mb) NEW
  "The Wellbeing of Australians – The effect of seven successive home-loan rate rises"
  
  
• Survey 18.2, Report 18.2 (pdf ~ 3Mb) NEW
  "What makes us happy?"
  
  

Australia Unity Website

International Wellbeing Group