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February 2020

Wellbeing evidence at the heart of policy

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Wellbeing evidence at the heart of policy
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Why put wellbeing at the heart of policy?

How are we doing as a nation? Is life getting better? Is it progress? How do we know?

  • If a policy helps people thrive, it’s a success. Whatever the intended outcome of a policy is, if it leaves people struggling – and decreases their wellbeing – in their daily lives, we cannot call it a success.We cannot evaluate a policy without taking into account its consequences on national, local, and individual wellbeing.
  • A wellbeing ‘lens’ helps us make sense of complex policy goals and impacts. Wellbeing is an essential complement to purely economic measures of success, particularly Gross Domestic Product. 
  • There is already evidence of what works to improve wellbeing, and how to measure impact. Wellbeing evidence can contribute a coherent and common approach for determining the efficacy of different policies and interventions. 
Close Why put wellbeing at the heart of policy?

What wellbeing factors matter?

What can we do?

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